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SHAKESPEARE'S 



TRAGEDY OF 



tin 
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 



Edited, with Notes, 



WILLIAM J. ROLFE, A.M., 

FORMERLY HEAD MASTER OF THE HIGH SCHOOL, CAMBRIDGE, MASS. 



WITH ENGRA VINGS. 







NEW YORK: 

HARPER & BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS, 

FRANKLIN SQUARE. 
l88l. 






ENGLISH CLASSICS. 



Illustrated. 



Edited by WM. J. ROLFE, A.M. 

i6mo, Cloth, 60 cents per volume ; Paper, 40 cents per volume. 



Shakespeare's Plays. 


Othello. 


Richard II. 


Julius Cassar. 


Henry IV. Part I. 1 


The Merchant of Venice. 


Henry IV. Part II. ' 


A Midsummer-Night's Dream. 


Henry V. 


Macbeth. 


Richard III. 


Hamlet. 


Henrv VIII. 


Much Ado about Nothing. 


King Lear. 


Romeo and Juliet. 


The Taming of the Shrew. 


As You Like It. 


All 's Well that Ends Well. 


The Tempest. 


Coriolanus. 


Twelfth Night. 


The Comedy of Errors. 


The Winter's Tale. 


Cymbeline. 


King John. 


Antony and Cleopatra. 


Goldsmith's I 


Select Poems. 


Gray's Sel 


ect Poems. 



Published by HARPER & BROTHERS, New York. 

A ny of the above works will be sent by mail, postage prepaid, to a?iy part 
of the United States, on receipt of the price. 



Copyright, 1881, by Harper & Brothers. 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE 

Introduction to Antony and Cleopatra 9 

I. The History of the Play 9 

II. The Historical Sources of the Plot . 11 

III. Critical Comments on the Play 12 

ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA 27 

Act I , 29 

" II 48 

" III 76 

" IV , 103 

" V 129 

Notes 147 




Subtle as Sphinx (L. L. L. iv. 3. 342). 




ct.eopatra's needle. 



INTRODUCTION 



TO 



ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 



I. THE HISTORY OF THE PLAY- 

Antony and Cleopatra was first printed in the folio of 
1623, where it occupies pages 340-368 in the division of 
" Tragedies;" but it was probably written in 1607 or very 



IO ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 

early in 1608. There can be little doubt that it is the "An- 
thony and Cleopatra " which was entered on the Stationers' 
Registers, May 20th, 1608, by Edward Blount, one of the 
publishers of the folio. As no edition was brought out, it 
was re-entered by Blount in 1623 as one of the plays in the 
folio "not formerly entered to other men." 

It was formerly supposed that this play was written soon 
after Julius Ccesar, with which it is connected historically in 
the person of its hero; but we now know that Julius Ccesar 
(see our ed.. p. 8) was produced some seven years earlier. 
As Dowden* has well shown, the "ethical " relations of An- 
tony and Cleopatra connect it with Macbeth on the one hand, 
and with Coriolanus on the other. He remarks : "The events 
of Roman history connect Antony, and Cleopatra immediate- 
ly with Julius Ccesar; yet Shakspere allowed a number of 
years to pass, during which he was actively engaged as au- 
thor, before he seems to have thought of his second Roman 
play. What is the significance of this fact? Does it not 
mean that the historical connection was now a connection 
too external and too material to carry Shakspere on from 
subject to subject, as it had sufficed to do while he was 
engaged upon his series of English historical plays ? The 
profoundest concerns of the individual soul were now press- 
ing upon the imagination of the poet. Dramas now writ- 
ten upon subjects taken from history became not chron- 
icles, but tragedies. The moral interest was supreme. The 
spiritual material dealt with by Shakspere's imagination in 
the play of Julius Ccesar lay wide apart from that which 
forms the centre of the Antony and Cleopatra. Therefore 
the poet was not carried directly forward from one to the 
other. 

"But having in Macbeth (about 1606) studied the ruin of 
a nature which gave fair promise in men's eyes of greatness 
and nobility, Shakspere, it rriay be, proceeded directly to a 
* Shakspere : His Mind and Art, American ed. p. 347 fol f 



INTR OD UC TION. 1 1 

similar study in the case of Antony. In the nature of An- 
tony, as in the nature of Macbeth, there is a moral fault or 
flaw, which circumstances discover, and which in the end 
works his destruction. In each play the pathos is of the 
same kind — it lies in the gradual severing of a man, through 
the lust of power or through the lust of pleasure, from his 
better self. By the side of Antony, as by Macbeth's side, 
there stood a terrible force, in the form of a woman, whose 
function it was to realize and ripen the unorganized and un- 
developed evil of his soul. Antony's sin was an inordinate 
passion for enjoyment at the expense of Roman virtue and 
manly energy ; a prodigality of heart, a superb egoism of 
pleasure. After a brief interval, Shakspere went on to ap- 
ply his imagination to the investigating of another form of 
egoism — not the egoism of self-diffusion, but of self-concen- 
tration. As Antony betrays himself and his cause through 
his sin of indulgence and laxity, so Coriolanus does violence 
to his own soul and to his country through his sin of haughti- 
ness, rigidity, and inordinate pride. Thus an ethical tend- 
ency connects these two plays, which are also connected in 
point of time; while Antony and Cleopatra, although histori- 
cally a continuation of Julius Ccesar, stands separated from 
it, both in the chronological order of Shakspere's plays and 
in the logical order assigned by successive developments 
of the conscience, the intellect, and the imagination of the 
dramatist." 

Antony and Cleopatra is well printed in the folio, and the 
textual difficulties are comparatively few and slight. 

II. THE HISTORICAL SOURCES OF THE PLOT. 

For this, as for the other Roman plays (cf. Julias Ccesar, 
p. 9, and Coriolanus, p. 10) the poet drew his materials from 
Sir Thomas North's translation of Amyot's Plutarch. How 
closely he followed his authority the illustrative extracts from 
North in the Notes will show. To earlier plays on the sub- 



I2 ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA, 

ject (Daniel's Cleopatra, the Countess of Pembroke's Trag- 
edie of Antonie, etc.) it is evident that he owed nothing. 

III. CRITICAL COMMENTS ON THE PLAY. 
[From Coleridge's "Notes and Lectures on Shakspeare.'''' *] 

Shakspeare can be complimented only by comparison 
with himself: all other eulogies are either heterogeneous, as 
when they are in reference to Spenser or Milton ; or they 
are flat truisms, as when he is gravely preferred to Corneille, 
Racine, or even his own immediate successors, Beaumont 
and Fletcher, Massinger, and the rest. The highest praise, 
or rather form of praise, of this play, which I can offer in my 
own mind, is the doubt which the perusal always occasions 
in me, whether the Antony and Cleopatra is not, in all exhi- 
bitions of a giant power in its strength and vigor of maturi- 
ty, a formidable rival of Macbeth, Lear, Hamlet, and Othello. 
Feliciter andax is the motto for its style comparatively with 
that of Shakspeare's other works, even as it is the general 
motto of all his works compared with those of other poets. 
Be it remembered, too, that this happy valiancy of style is 
but the representative and result of all the material excel- 
lences so expressed. 

This play should be perused in mental contrast with Ro- 
meo and Juliet — as the love of passion and appetite opposed 
to the love of affection and instinct. But the art displayed 
in the character of Cleopatra is profound ; in this, especially, 
that the sense of criminality in her passion is lessened by 
our insight into its depth and energy, at the very moment 
that we cannot but perceive that the passion itself springs out 
of the habitual craving of a licentious nature, and that it is 
supported and reinforced by voluntary stimulus and sought- 
for associations, instead of blossoming out of spontaneous 
emotion. 

Of all Shakspeare's historical plays, Antony and Cleo- 
* Coleridge's Works (Harper's ed.), vol. iv. p. 105 fol. 



INTR OD UC TION. 1 3 

patra is by far the most wonderful. There is not one in 
which he has followed history so minutely, and yet there are 
few in which he impresses the notion of angelic strength so 
much — perhaps none in which he impresses it more strongly. 
This is greatly owing to the manner in which the fiery force 
is sustained throughout, and to the numerous momentary 
flashes of nature counteracting the historic abstraction. As 
a wonderful specimen of the way in which Shakspeare lives 
up to the very end of this play, read the last part of the con- 
cluding scene. And if you would feel the judgment as well 
as the genius of Shakspeare in your heart's core, compare 
this astonishing drama with Dryden's All for Love. 

Note. — Compare what Campbell the poet says of the play, and par- 
ticularly the comparison with Dryden : 

" If I were to select any historical play of Shakespeare, in which he 
has combined an almost literal fidelity to history with, an equal faithful 
adherence to the truth of nature, and in which he superinduces the merit 
of skilful dramatic management, it would be the above play. In his 
portraiture of Antony there is, perhaps, a flattered likeness of the origi- 
nal by Plutarch ; but the similitude loses little of its strength by Shake- 
speare's softening and keeping in the shade his traits of cruelty. In 
Cleopatra, we can discern nothing materially different from the vouched 
historical sorceress; she nevertheless has a more vivid meteoric and 
versatile play of enchantment in Shakespeare's likeness of her than in a 
dozen of other poetical copies in which the artists took much greater 
liberties with historical truth : he paints her as if the gypsy herself had 
cast her spell over him, and given her own witchcraft to his pencil. 

" At the same time, playfully interesting to our fancy as he makes this 
enchantress, he keeps us far from a vicious sympathy. The asp at her 
bosom, that lulls its nurse asleep, has no poison for our morality. A 
single glance at the devoted and dignified Octavia recalls our homage 
to virtue; but with delicate skill he withholds the purer woman from 
prominent contact with the wanton queen, and does not, like Dryden, 
bring the two to a scolding-match. The latter poet's All for Love was 
regarded by himself as his masterpiece, and is by no means devoid of 
merit ; but so inferior is it to the prior drama, as to make it disgraceful 
to British taste for one hundred years that the former absolutely ban- 
ished the latter from the stage. A French critic calls Great Britain the 
island of Shakespeare's idolaters ; yet so it happens, in this same island, 



I4 AX TO NY AND CLEOPATRA. 

that Dryden's All for Love has been acted ten times oftener than Shake- 
speare's Antony and Cleopatra. 

" Dryden's Marc Antony is a weak voluptuary from first to last. Not 
a sentence of manly virtue is ever uttered by him that seems to come 
from himself; and whenever he expresses a moral feeling, it appears not 
to have grown up in his own nature, but to have been planted there by 
the influence of his friend Ventidius, like a flower in a child's garden, 
only to wither and take no root. Shakespeare's Antony is a very differ- 
ent being. When he hears of the death of his first wife, Fulvia, his ex- 
clamation, ' There 's a great spirit gone V and his reflections on his own 
enthralment by Cleopatra mark the residue of a noble mind. A queen, 
a siren, a Shakespeare's Cleopatra alone could have entangled Mark An- 
tony, while an ordinary wanton could have enslaved Dryden's hero." 

[From Mrs. famesoii's " Characteristics of Women.'''' *} 

Of all Shakspeare's female characters, Miranda and Cleo- 
patra appear to me the most wonderful : the first, unequalled 
as a poetic conception ; the latter, miraculous as a work of 
art. If we could make a regular classification of his charac- 
ters, these would form the two extremes of simplicity and 
complexity ; and all his other characters would be found to 
fill up some shade or gradation between these two. 

Great crimes, springing from high passions, grafted on 
high qualities, are the legitimate source of tragic poetry. 
But to make the extreme of littleness produce an effect like 
grandeur — to make the excess of frailty produce an effect 
like power — to heap up together all that is most unsubstan- 
tial, frivolous, vain, contemptible, and variable, till the worth- 
lessness be lost in the magnitude, and a sense of the sublime 
spring from the very elements of littleness — to do this, be- 
longed only to Shakspeare, that worker of miracles. Cleo- 
patra is a brilliant antithesis, a compound of contradictions, 
of all that we most hate, with what we most admire. The 
whole character is the triumph of the external over the in- 
nate ; and yet like one of her country's hieroglyphics, though 
she present at first view a splendid and perplexing anomaly, 
* American ed. (Boston, 1857), p. 304 fol. 



IN TROD UCTION. 1 5 

there is deep meaning and wondrous skill in the apparent 
enigma, when we come to analyze and decipher it. But how 
are we to arrive at the solution of this glorious riddle, whose 
dazzling complexity continually mocks and eludes us ? What 
is most astonishing in the character of Cleopatra is its anti- 
thetical construction — its consistent inconsistency, if I may use 
such an expression — which renders it quite impossible to re- 
duce it to any elementary principles. It will, perhaps, be 
found, on the whole, that vanity and the love of power pre- 
dominate ; but I dare not say it is so, for these qualities and 
a hundred others mingle into each other, and shift and 
change, and glance away, like the colours in a peacock's 
train. 

In some others of Shakspeare's female characters, also 
remarkable for their complexity (Portia and Juliet, for in- 
stance), we are struck with the delightful sense of harmony 
in the midst of contrast, so that the idea of unity and sim- 
plicity of effect is produced in the midst of variety ; but in 
Cleopatra it is the absence of unity and simplicity which 
strikes us ; the impression is that of perpetual and irrecon- 
cilable contrast. The continual approximation of whatever 
is most opposite in character, in situation, in sentiment, 
would be fatiguing were it not so perfectly natural : the 
woman herself would be distracting if she were not so en- 
chanting. 

I have not the slightest doubt that Shakspeare's Cleo- 
patra is the real historical Cleopatra — the " Rare Egyptian " 
— individualized and placed before us. Her mental accom- 
plishments, her unequalled grace, her woman's wit and wom- 
an's wiles, her irresistible allurements, her starts of irregu- 
lar grandeur, her bursts of ungovernable temper, her vivacity 
of imagination, her petulant caprice, her fickleness and her 
falsehood, her tenderness and her truth, her childish suscep- 
tibility to flattery, her magnificent spirit, her royal pride, the 
gorgeous Eastern colouring of the character ; all these con- 



!6 ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 

tradictory elements has Shakspeare seized, mingled them in 
their extremes, and fused them into one brilliant impersona- 
tion of classical elegance, Oriental voluptuousness, and gypsy 
sorcery. 

What better proof can we have of the individual truth of 
the character than the admission that Shakspeare's Cleo- 
patra produces exactly the same effect on us that is recorded 
of the real Cleopatra ? She dazzles our faculties, perplexes 
our judgment, bewilders and bewitches our fancy ; from the 
beginning to the end of the drama, we are conscious of a 
kind of fascination against which our moral sense rebels, but 
from which there is no escape. The epithets applied to her 
perpetually by Antony and others confirm this impression : 
"enchanting queen!" — "witch" — "spell" — "great fairy" — 
"cockatrice "r— "serpent of old Nile" — "thou grave charm !"* 
are only a few of them ; and who does not know by heart 
the famous quotations in which this Egyptian Circe is de- 
scribed with all her infinite seductions ? 

" Fie ! wrangling queen ! 
Whom every thing becomes — to chide, to laugh, 
To weep ; whose every passion fully strives 
To make itself, in thee, fair and admir'd." 

" Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale 
Her infinite variety : . . . 

for vilest things 
Become themselves in her." 

And the pungent irony of Enobarbus has well exposed her 
feminine arts, when he says, on the occasion of Antony's in- 
tended departure, 

" Cleopatra, catching but the least noise of this, dies instantly : I have 
seen her die twenty times upon far poorer moment. 

Antony. She is cunning past man's thought. 

Enobarbus. Alack, sir, no ! her passions are made of nothing but the 
finest part of pure love. We cannot call her winds and waters, sighs 
and tears ; they are greater storms and tempests than almanacs can 

* Grave, in the sense of mighty or potent. 



INTR OD UC TION. 



17 



report : this cannot be cunning in her ; if it be, she makes a shower of 
rain as well as Joye." . .; \ 

We learn from- Plutarch that it was a favourite amusement 
with Antony and -Cleopatra to ramble through the streets 
at night, and bandy 1 -ribald jests with the populace of Alex- 
andria. From the saine authority, we know that they were 
accustomed to live on the most familiar terms with then- 
attendants and the companions of their revels. To these 
traits we must add, that with all her violence, perverseness, 
egotism, and caprice, Cleopatra mingled a capability for 
warm affections and kindly feeling, or rather what we should 
call, in these days, a constitutional good-nature ; and was 
lavishly generous to her favourites and dependents. These 
characteristics we find scattered through the play; they are 
not only faithfully rendered by Shakspeare, but he has made 
the finest use of them in his delineation of manners. Hence 
the occasional freedom of her women and her attendants, in 
the midst of their fears and flatteries, becomes most natural 
and consistent : hence, too, their devoted attachment and 
fidelity, proved even in death. But as illustrative of Cleo- 
patra's disposition, perhaps the finest and most characteris- 
tic scene in the whole play is that [ii. 5] in which the mes- 
senger arrives from Rome with the tidings of Antony's mar- 
riage with Octavia. She perceives at once with quickness 
that all is not well, and she hastens to anticipate the worst, 
that she may have the pleasure of being disappointed. Her 
impatience to know what she fears to learn, the vivacity with 
which she gradually works herself up into a state of excite- 
ment, and at length into fury, is wrought out with a force 
of truth which makes us recoil. . . . The pride and arro- 
gance of the Egyptian queen, the blandishment of the wom- 
an, the unexpected but natural transitions of temper and 
feeling, the contest of various passions, and at length — when 
the wild hurricane has spent its fury — the melting into tears, 
faintness, and languishment, are portrayed with the most 

B 



1 8 ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 

astonishing power, and truth, and skill in feminine nature. 
More wonderful still is the splendour and force of colouring 
which is shed over this extraordinary scene. The mere idea 
of an angry woman beating her menial presents something 
ridiculous or disgusting to the mind ; in a queen or a tragedy 
heroine it is still more indecorous ;* yet this scene is as far 
as possible from the vulgar or the comic. Cleopatra seems 
privileged to " touch the brink of all we hate " with im- 
punity. This imperial termagant, this " wrangling queen, 
whom every thing becomes," becomes even her fury. We 
know not by what strange power it is, that in the midst of 
all these unruly passions and childish caprices, the poetry 
of the character and the fanciful and sparkling grace of the 
delineation are sustained and still rule in the imagination ; 
but we feel that it is so. . . . 

In representing the mutual passion of Antony and Cleo- 
patra as real and fervent, Shakspeare has adhered to the 
truth of history as well as to general nature. On Antony's 
side it is a species of infatuation, a single and engrossing 
feeling : it is, in short, the love of a man declined in years 
for a woman very much younger than himself, and who has 
subjected him to every species of female enchantment. In 
Cleopatra the passion is of a mixed nature, made up of real 
attachment, combined with the love of pleasure, the love of 
power, and the love of self. Not only is the character most 
complicated, but no one sentiment could have existed pure 
and unvarying in such a mind as hers; her passion in itself 
is true, fixed to one centre ; but like the pennon streaming 
from the mast, it flutters and veers with every breath of her 
variable temper : yet in the midst of all her caprices, follies, 
and even vices, womanly feeling is still predominant in Cleo- 

* The well-known violence and coarseness of Queen Elizabeth's man- 
ners, in which she was imitated by the women about heiymay in Shak- 
speare's time have rendered the image of a royal virago less offensive 
and less extraordinary. 



INTR OD UC 770 JV. 1 9 

patra : and the change which takes place in her deportment 
towards Antony, when their evil fortune darkens round 
them, is as beautiful and interesting in itself as it is striking 
and natural. Instead of the airy caprice and provoking 
petulance she displays in the first scenes, we have a mixture 
of tenderness, and artifice, and fear, and submissive blan- 
dishment. Her behaviour, for instance, after the battle of 
Actium, when she quails before the noble and tender rebuke 
of her lover, is partly female subtlety and partly natural 
feeling. . . . 

History is followed closely in all the details of the catas- 
trophe, and there is something wonderfully grand in the hur- 
ried march of events towards the conclusion. As disasters 
hem her round, Cleopatra gathers up her faculties to meet 
them, not with the calm fortitude of a great soul, but the 
haughty, tameless spirit of a wilful woman, unused to reverse 
or contradiction. 

Her speech, after Antony has expired in her arms, I have 
always regarded as one of the most wonderful in Shakspeare. 
Cleopatra is not a woman to grieve, silently. The contrast 
between the violence of her passions and the weakness of 
her sex, between her regal grandeur and her excess of mis- 
ery, her impetuous, unavailing struggles with the fearful 
destiny which has compassed her, and the mixture of wild 
impatience and pathos in her agony, are really magnificent. 
She faints on the body of Antony, and is recalled to life by 
the cries of her women : 

" Iras. Royal Egypt— empress ! 

Cleopatra. No more, but e'en a woman !* and commanded 
By such poor passion as the maid that milks, 
And does the meanest chares.— It were for me 
To throw my sceptre at the injurious gods : 
To tell them that our world did equal theirs 
Till they had stolen our jewel. All 's'but naught ; 

* Cleopatra replies to the first word she hears on recovering her 
senses, "No more an empress, but a mere woman !" 



20 ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 

Patience is sottish, and impatience does 

Become a dog that 's mad. Then is it sin 

To rush into the secret house of death 

Ere death dare come to us ? How do you, women ? 

What, what ! good cheer ! why, how now, Charmian ? 

My noble girls ! — ah, women, women ! look, 

Our lamp is spent, is out. 

We '11 bury him, and then what 's brave, what 's noble, 

Let 's do it after the high Roman fashion, 

And make death proud to take us." 

But although Cleopatra talks of dying "after the high Ro- 
man fashion," she fears what she most desires, and cannot 
perform with simplicity what costs her such an effort. That 
extreme physical cowardice, which was so strong a trait in 
her historical character, which led to the defeat of Actium, 
which made her delay the execution of a fatal resolve till 
she had " tried conclusions infinite of easy ways to die," 
Shakspeare has rendered with the finest possible effect, and 
in a manner which heightens instead of diminishing our re- 
spect and interest. Timid by nature, she is courageous by 
the mere force of will, and she lashes herself up with high- 
sounding words into a kind of false daring. Her lively im- 
agination suggests every incentive which can spur her on to 
the deed she has resolved, yet trembles to contemplate. She 
pictures to herself all the degradations which must attend 
her captivity; and let it be observed, that those which she 
anticipates are precisely such as a vain, luxurious, and 
haughty woman would especially dread, and which only true 
virtue and magnanimity could despise. Cleopatra could 
have endured the loss of freedom ; but to be led in triumph 
through the streets of Rome is insufferable. She could 
stoop to Caesar with dissembling courtesy, and meet duplicity 
with superior art; but "to be chastised " by the scornful or 
upbraiding glance of the injured Octavia — "rather a ditch 
in Egypt !" . . . 

The death of Lucretia, of Portia, of Arria, and others 



INTR OD UC TIOA T . 2 T 

who died "after the high Roman fashion," is sublime ac- 
cording to the Pagan ideas of virtue, and yet none of them 
so powerfully affect the imagination as the catastrophe of 
Cleopatra. The idea of this frail, timid, wayward woman, 
dying with heroism from the mere force of passion and will, 
takes us by surprise. The Attic elegance of her mind, her 
poetical imagination, the pride of beauty and royalty pre- 
dominating to the last, and the sumptuous and picturesque 
accompaniments with which she surrounds herself in death, 
carry to its extreme height that effect of contrast which pre- 
vails through her life and character. No arts, no invention, 
could add to the real circumstances of Cleopatra's closing 
scene. Shakspeare has shown profound judgment and feel- 
ing in adhering closely to the classical authorities ; and to 
say that the language and sentiments worthily fill up the 
outline is the most magnificent praise that can be given. 
The magical play of fancy and the overpowering fascina- 
tion of the character are kept up to the last : and when Cleo- 
patra, on applying the asp, silences the lamentations of her 

women — « p eaC e ! peace ! 

Dost thou not see my baby at my breast, 
That sucks the nurse to sleep ?" — 

these few words — the contrast between the tender beauty 
of the image and the horror of the situation — produce an 
effect more intensely mournful than all the ranting in the 
world. The generous devotion of her women adds the moral 
charm which alone was wanting: and when Octavius hurries 
in too late to save his victim, and exclaims, when gazing on 

h^r, « she looks like sleep — 

As she would catch another Antony 
In her strong toil of grace," 

the image of her beauty and her irresistible arts, triumphant 
even in death, is at once brought before us, and one master- 
ly and comprehensive stroke consummates this most won- 
derful, most dazzling delineation. 



22 ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 

I am not here the apologist of Cleopatra's historical char- 
acter, nor of such women as resemble her : I am consider- 
ing her merely as a dramatic portrait of astonishing beauty, 
spirit, and originality. She has furnished the subject of two 
Latin, sixteen French, six English, and at least four Italian 
tragedies f yet Shakspeare alone has availed himself of all 
the interest of the story, without falsifying the character. 
He alone has dared to exhibit the Egyptian queen with all 
her greatness and all her littleness — all her frailties of tem- 
per — all her paltry arts and dissolute passions — yet pre- 
served the dramatic propriety and poetical colouring of the 
character, and awakened our pity for fallen grandeur, with- 
out once beguiling us into sympathy with guilt and error. 

[From Verplanck's " Shakespeare." \\ 

Without laying much stress upon any particular theory 
of the precise date of this splendid historical drama, it is 
clear that all the testimonies and indications, internal and 
external, designate it as the production of a poet no longer 
young, and in the full maturity of mind, sympathizing with 
the feelings and character of advancing age, and rich in 
that knowledge of life which nature and genius alone can- 
not give. 

Thus Juliet, Ophelia, Desdemona, Viola, and Portia are 
all within the natural range of a young poet's power of rep- 

* The Cleopatra of Jodelle was the first regular French tragedy ; the 
last French tragedy on the same subject was the Cleopatre of Marmontel. 
For the representation of this tragedy, Vaucanson, the celebrated French 
mechanist, invented an automaton asp, which crawled and hissed to the 
life — to the great delight of the Parisians. But it appears that neither 
Vaucanson's asp nor Clairon could save Cleopatre from a deserved fate. 
Of the English tragedies, one was written by the Countess of Pembroke, 
the sister of Sir Philip Sidney ; and is, I believe, the first instance in 
our language of original dramatic writing by a female. 

t The Illustrated Shakespeare, edited by G. C. Verplanck (New York, 
1847), vol. iii. p. 6 of A. and C. 



INTR OD UC TJON. 2 X 

resentation. They are ideas of admirable general nature, 
varied, refined, adorned by fancy and feeling. But Cleopatra, 
as she appears in this tragedy, is a character that could not 
have been thus depicted but from the actual observation of 
life, or from that reflected knowledge which can be drawn 
from history and biography. To a modern author, such as 
Scott, biographical memoirs and literature could supply to a 
certain degree the want of a living model, even for such a 
personage as this " wrangling queen — whom every thing be- 
comes " — 

"Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale 
Her infinite variety," 

while "vilest things become themselves in her." But there 
was no such literary assistance accessible to Shakespeare. 
Plutarch had given the dry outline of the character, with 
some incidents which, to an ordinary poet, would have sug- 
gested nothing more, which in this drama have expanded 
themselves into scenes of living and speaking truth. But 
all this, and all the minute finishing of the character, Shake- 
speare must have collected from his own observation of life, 
drawing the fragments from various quarters, perhaps from 
very humble ones, and blending them all in this brilliant his- 
torical impersonation of such individual truth, that there are 
few readers who do not feel, with Mrs. Jameson, that "Shake- 
speare's Cleopatra produces the same effect on them that is 
recorded of the real Cleopatra. She dazzles our faculties, 
perplexes our judgment, and bewitches our fancy; we are 
conscious of a kind of fascination, against which our moral 
sense rebels, but from which there is no escape." 

Again, the manner in which the poet has exhibited the 
weakness of a great mind — of a hero past the middle stage 
of life, when " grey hath mingled with his brown," who is 
seen bowing his "grizzled head " to the caprices of a wanton 
who, like himself, begins to be " wrinkled deep in time," — 



24 ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 

all this belongs to a poet himself of maturer life. To a 
younger poet, the weakness of passion at an age when "the 
heyday of the blood " should be calm would in itself have 
something of an air of ridicule. So sensible of this danger 
were all the other poets who have essayed^this ..theme, that 
all, not excepting Dryden, have avoided *any allusion which 
should turn the attention to the circumstance. 

Shakespeare, on the contrary,, brings this into bold relief, 
and luxuriates in showing, under every light, the irregular 
greatness of his hero, with all his weakness ; and thus, by a 
close adherence to historic truth, individualized and made 
present and real by his own knowledge of, and sympathy 
with, human infirmity, has given to his scenes of passionate 
frailty an originality of interest not to be attained by those 
who would not venture to hazard the interest of their plot 
upon the loves of any but the young and beautiful. 

But independently of any other indications, it is certain 
that the ripe maturity of poetic mind pervades the whole 
tone of the tragedy, its diction, imagery, characters, thoughts. 
It exhibits itself everywhere, in a copious and varied mag- 
nificence, as from a mind and memory stored with the treas- 
ures acquired in its own past intellectual efforts, as well as 
with the knowledge of life and books, from all which the 
dramatic muse (to borrow the Oriental imagery which Milton 
has himself drawn from this very tragedy), like 

" the gorgeous East, with liberal hand, 
Showers on her kings barbaric pearl and gold." 

Its poetry has an autumnal richness, such as can succeed 
only to the vernal luxuriance of genius, or its fiercer mid- 
summer glow. We need no other proof than that which its 
own abundance affords, that this tragedy is the rich product 
of a mind where, as in Mark Antony's own Egypt, his " Nilus 
had swelled high," and 



INTRODUCTION. 25 

" when it ebb'cl, the seedsman 
Upon its slime and ooze scatter'd his grain, 
Which shortly came to harvest." 

[From Mr. F. y. FumivaWs Introduction to the Flay.*] 

We change from Troy to Egypt and Rome, from the false 
Cressid to the false Cleopatra, from the deceived Troilus to 
the deceived and deceiving Antony, from the bitter, clear- 
seeing Thersites, stripping heroes and legends of antiquity 
of their glory, to the equally clear-sighted but happier-tem- 
pered Enobarbus, calmly explaining the character of his mis- 
tress, and Philo, with equal penetration, analyzing Antony, 
and lamenting his master's infatuation. But while Troilus 
and Cress/da is lit by no light of sympathy from author or 
reader, save in the one scene of old Nestor's welcome to 
Hector in the Greek camp, on Antony and Cleopatra Shak- 
spere has poured out the glory of his genius in profusion, 
and makes us stand by, saddened and distressed, as the noble 
Antony sinks to his ruin, under the gorgeous colouring of 
the Eastern sky, the vicious splendour of the Egyptian queen ; 
makes us look with admiring hate on the wonderful picture 
he has drawn, certainly far the most wonderful study of 
woman he has left us, of that Cleopatra of whom Enobarbus, 
who knew her every turn, said, 

" Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale 
Her infinite variety ; other women 
Cloy the appetites they feed, but she makes hungry 
Where most she satisfies." 

That in her, the dark woman of Shakspere's Sonnets, his 
own fickle, serpent-like, attractive mistress, is to some extent 
■embodied, I do not doubt. t What a superbly sumptuous 
picture, as if painted by Veronese or Titian, is that where 

* The Leopold Shakspere (London, 1877), p. Ixxxii. 
t Cf. Ward, Eng. Dram. Lit. vol. i. p. 427 : " There may be truth in 
Mr. Massey's supposition that Cleopatra is modelled on Lady (Penelope) 



2 6 ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 

Cleopatra first met Antony upon the river of Cydnus ! How 
admirably transferred from Plutarch's prose ! And how that 
fatal inability to say " No " to woman shows us Antony's 
weakness and the cause of his final fall. 

The play is like Troilns and Cressida, not only in lust and 
false women (Cressida and Cleopatra) playing such a promi- 
nent part in it, but in Antony's renown and power, and selfish 
preference of his own whims to honour's call, to his country's 
good, being the counterpart of Achilles'. All the characters 
are selfish except Octavia and Eros. Caesar's description 
of Antony as " a man who is the abstract of all faults that 
men follow " is not far wrong. We were prepared by Julius 
Ccesar for the wildness in his blood and the want of noble 
purpose in his ordinary pursuits ; for his selfishness and un- 
scrupulousness too, by his proposal to sacrifice Lepidus. And 
though the redeeming qualities of his nature~were shown in 
his love for Caesar, his appeal to the people for revenge, and 
his skill in managing them, yet in his development lust and 
self-indulgence prevail, and under their influence he loses 
judgment, soldiership, even the qualities of a man. His 
seeming impulse towards good in the marriage of Octavia 
lasts but for a time ; all her nobleness and virtue cannot 
save him. He turns from the gem of women to his Egyp- 
tian dish again, and abides by his infatuation even when he 
knows he 's deceived. 

Rich (d. 1606), Sidney's Stella, the lady of the dark eyes, whom Mr. 
Massey and Mr. Henry Brown have sought to identify with the ' black ' 
lady of the Sonnets.''' 1 — Ed. 



t*r <l 





ANTONY 



MB 




PATRA 




)■ friends to Antony. 



Mark Antony, 
octavius caesar, 
M. ./Emilius Lepidus, 
Sextus Pompeius. 
Domitius Enobarbus, "] 
Ventidius, 
Eros, 

SCARUS, 

Dercetas, 

Demetrius, 

Philo, 

maecenas, 

Agrippa, 

dolabelea, 

Proculeius, 

Thvreus, 

Gallus, 

Menas, 

Menecrates, 

Varrius, 

Taurus, lieutenant-general to Caesar. 

Canidius, lieutenant-general to Antony. 

Sii.ius, an officer in Ventidius's army. 

Euphronius, an ambassador from Antony to Caesar. 

Alexas, 

Mardian, a Eunuch, 

Sei.eucus, 

DlOMEDES, j 

A Soothsayer. 

A Clown. 

Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt. 

Octavia, sister to Caesar and wife to Antony. 

Charmian, J attendants on Cleopatra, 

Officers, Soldiers, Messengers, and other Attendants. 
Scene : In several parts of the Roman empire. 



- friends to Caesar. 



friends to Pompey. 



} attendants on Cleopatra. 





Cleopatra's palace. 



ACT I. 

Scene I. Alexandria. A Room in Cleopatra's Palace. 
Enter Demetrius and Philo. 

Philo. Nay, but this dotage of our general's 
O'erflows the measure : those his goodly eyes, 
That o'er the files and musters of the war 
Have glow'd like plated Mars, now bend, now turn 
The office and devotion of their view 
Upon a tawny front; his captain's heart, 



s 

30 ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 

Which in the scuffles of great fights hath burst 
The buckles on his breast, renegesall temper, 
And is become the bellows and the fan 
To cool a gypsy's lust. 

Flourish. Enter Antony, Cleopatra, her Ladies ; the Train, 
with Eunuchs fanning her. 

Look, where they come ! 10 

Take but good note, and you shall see in him 
The triple pillar of the world transform'd 
Into a strumpet's fool ; behold and see. 

Cleopatra. If it be love indeed, tell me how much. 
Antony- There 's beggary in the love that can be reckon'd. 
Cleopatra. I '11 set a bourn how far to be belov'd. 
Antony. Then must thou needs find out new heaven, new 
earth. 

Enter an Attendant. 

Attendant. News, my good lord, from Rome. 

Antony. Grates me ; the sum. 

Cleopatra. Nay, hear them, Antony. 
Fulvia perchance is angry; or, who knows 20 

If the scarce-bearded Caesar have not sent 
His powerful mandate to you, 'Do this, or this; 
Take in that kingdom, and enfranchise that; 
Perform 't, or else we damn thee.' 

Antony. How, my love ! 

Cleopatra. Perchance, — nay, and most like, — 
You must not stay here longer, your dismission 
Is come from Caesar; therefore hear it, Antony. 
Where's Fulvia's process? Caesar's, I would say? both? — 
Call in the messengers. — As I am Egypt's queen, 
Thou blushest, Antony, and that blood of thine 30 

Is Caesar's homager; else so thy cheek pays shame 
When shrill-tongued Fulvia scolds. — The messengers ! 

Antony. Let Rome in Tiber melt, and the wide arch 



ACT I. SCENE I. 3 ! 

Of the rang'cl empire fall ! Here is my space. 
Kingdoms are.clay; our dungy earth alike 
Feeds beast as man : the nobleness of life 
Is to do thus ; when such a mutual pair [Embracing. 

And such a twain can do 't, in which I bind, 
On pain of punishment, the world to weet 
We stand up peerless. 

Cleopatra. Excellent falsehood ! 40 

Why did he marry Fulvia, and not love -her? — 
I'll seem the fool I am not ; Antony 
Will be himself. 

Antony. But stirr'd by Cleopatra. — 

Now, for the love of Love and her soft hours, 
"7" Let 's not confound the time with conference harsh ; 
There 's not a minute of our lives should stretch 
Without some pleasure now. What sport to-night ? 

Cleopatra. Hear the ambassadors. 

Anto7iy. Fie, wrangling queen ! 

Whom every thing becomes — to chide, to laugh, 
To weep ; whose every passion fully strives 50 

To make itself, in thee, fair and admir'd ! 
No messenger but thine ; and all alone 
To-night we 'll wander through the streets and note 
The qualities of people. Come, my queen; 
Last night you did desire it. — Speak not to us. 

[Exeunt Antony and Cleopatra with their train. 

Demetrius. Is Caesar with Antonius priz'd so slight? 

Philo. Sir, sometimes, when he is not Antony, 
He comes too short of that great property 
Which still should go with Antony. 

Demetrius. I am full sorry 

That he approves the common liar, who 60 

Thus speaks of him at Rome ; but I will hope 
Of better deeds to-morrow. Rest you happy ! [Exeunt. 



32 



ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 



Scene II. The Same. Another Room. 
Enter Charmian, Iras, Alexas, and a Soothsayer. 

Charmian. Lord Alexas, sweet Alexas, most any thing 
Alexas, almost most absolute Alexas, where 's the sooth- 
sayer that you praised so to the queen ? O, that I knew 
this husband, which, you say, must charge his horns with 
garlands ! 

Alexas. Soothsayer ! 

Soothsayer. Your will ? 

Charmian. Is this the man? — Is 't you, sir, that know 
things ? 

Soothsayer. In nature's infinite book of secrecy 
A little I can read. 

Alexas. Show him your hand. 10 

Enter Enobarbus. 

Enobarbus. Bring in the banquet quickly; wine enough 
Cleopatra's health to drink. 

Charmian. Good sir, give me good fortune. 

Soothsayer. I make not, but foresee. 

Charmian. Pray, then, foresee me one. 

Soothsayer. You shall be yet far fairer than you are. 

Charmian. He means in flesh. 

Iras. No, you shall paint when you are old. 

Charmian. Wrinkles forbid ! 

Alexas. Vex not his prescience; be attentive. 20 

Charmian. Hush! 

Soothsayer. You shall be more beloving than belov'd. 

Charmian. I had rather heat my liver with drinking. 
>r 'Alexas. Nay, hear him. 

Charmian. Good now, some excellent fortune ! Let me 
be married to three kings in a forenoon, and widow them 
all ; let me have a child at fifty, to whom Herod of Jewry 



ACT I. SCENE II. S3 

may do homage; find me to marry me with Octavius Caesar, 
and companion me with my mistress. 

Soothsayer. Yon. shall outlive the lady whom you serve. 30 

Charmian. O excellent! I love long life better than figs. 

Soothsayer. You have seen and prov'd a fairer former fort- 
une 
Than that which is to approach. 

Charmian. Then belike my children shall have no names.. 
Prithee, how many boys and wenches must I have? 

Soothsayer. If fertile every wish, a million. 

Charmian. Out, fool ! I forgive thee for a witch. 

\Alexas. You think none but your sheets are privy to your 

wishes. 

Charmian. Nay, come, tell Iras hers. 40 

Alexas. We '11 know all our fortunes. 

Enobarbns. Mine, and most of our fortunes, to-night, shall 
be — drunk to bed. 

Iras. There 's a palm presages chastity, if nothing else. 
Charmian. E'en as the o'erflowing Nilus presageth famine. 
Iras. Go, you wild bedfellow, you cannot soothsay. 
Charmian. Nay, if an oily palm be not a fruitful prognos- 
tication, I cannot scratch mine ear. Prithee, tell her but a 
worky-day fortune. 

Soothsayer. Your fortunes are alike. 50 

Iras. But how, but how? give me particulars. 
Soothsayer. I have said. 

Iras. Am I not an inch of fortune better than she? 
Charmian. Well, if you were but an inch of fortune better 
than I, where would you choose it? 
Iras. Not in my husband's nose. 

Charmian. Our worser thoughts heavens mend! Alexas, 
—come, his fortune, his fortune !— O, let him marry a wom- 
an that cannot go, sweet Isis, I beseech thee ! and let her 
die too, and give him a worse ! and let worse follow worse, 
till the worst of all follow him laughing to his grave, fifty- 

C 



34 ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 

fold a cuckold! Good Isis, hear me this prayer, though 
thou deny me a matter of more weight ; good Isis, I beseech 
thee ! 64 

Iras. Amen. Dear goddess, hear that prayer of the peo- 
ple! for, as it is a heart-breaking to see a handsome man 
loose-wived, so it is a deadly sorrow to behold a foul knave 
uncuckolded ; therefore, dear Isis, keep decorum, and fortune 
him accordingly! 

Charmian. Amen. 70 

Alexas. Lo, now, if it lay in their hands to make me a 
cuckold, they 'd do 't ! 

Enobarbus. Hush ! here comes Antony. 

Charmian. Not he ; the queen. 

Enter Cleopatra. 

Cleopatra. Saw you my lord? 

Enobarbus. No, lady. 

Cleopatra. Was he not here ? 

Charmian. No, madam. 

Cleopatra. He was dispos'd to mirth ; but on the sudden 
A Roman thought hath struck him. — Enobarbus! 

Enobarbus. Madam ? 

Cleopatra. Seek him, and bring him hither. — Where 's 
Alexas ? 
-\Alexas. Here, at your service. — My lord approaches. 80 

Cleopatra. We will not look upon him ; go with us. 

\Exeunt. 

Enter Antony with a Messenger and Attendants. 

Messenger. Fulvia thy wife first came into the field. 

Antony. Against my brother Lucius ? 

Messenger. Ay; 
But soon that war had end, and the time's state 
Made friends of them, jointing their force 'gainst Caesar, 
Whose better issue in the war, from Italy 
Upon the first encounter drave them. 



ACT I. SCENE II. 35 

Antony. Well, what worst? 

Messenger. The nature of bad news infects the teller.^. 

Antony. When it concerns the fool or coward. — On! 90 
-f Things that are past are done with me. — 'T is thus ; 
Who tells me true, though in his tale lie death, ^ 
I hear him as he flatter'd. 

Messenger. Labienus — 

This is stiff news— hath, with his Parthian force, 
Extended Asia from Euphrates, 
His conquering banner shook from Syria 
To Lydia and to Ionia ; 
Whilst— 

Antony. Antony, thou wouldst say, — 

Messenger. O, my lord ! 

Antony. Speak to me home, mince not the general tongue : 
Name Cleopatra as she is call'd in Rome ; 100 

Rail thou in Fulvia's phrase, and taunt my faults 
With such full license as both truth and malice 
Have power to utter. O, then we bring forth weeds 
When our quick minds lie still ; and our ills told us 
Is as our earing. Fare thee well awhile. 

Messenger. At your noble pleasure. [Exit. 

Antony. From Sicyon, ho, the news! Speak there! 

1 Attendant. The man from Sicyon, — is there such an 

one ? 

2 Attendant. He stays upon your will. 

Antony. Let him appear. — 

These strong Egyptian fetters I must break, no 

Or lose myself in dotage. 

Enter another Messenger. 
What are you? 
2 Messenger. Fulvia thy wife is dead. 
Antony. Where died she? 

2 Messenger. In Sicyon; 



36 ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 

Her length of sickness, with what else more serious 
Importeth thee to know, this bears. [Gives a letter. 

Antony. Forbear me. — 

[Exit 2 Messenger. 
There 's a great spirit gone ! Thus did I desire it. 
What our contempt doth often hurl from us, 
^We wish it ours again; the present pleasure, 
By revolution lowering, does become 

The opposite of itself. She 's good, being gone ; 120 

The hand could pluck her back that shov'd her on. 
I must from this enchanting queen break off; 
Ten thousand harms, more than the ills I know, 
My idleness doth hatch. — Ho ! Enobarbus ! 

Re-enter Enobarbus. 

Enobarbus. What 's your pleasure, sir? 

Afitony. I must with haste from hence. 

Enobarbus. Why, then, we kill all our women. We see 
how mortal an unkindness is to them; if they suffer our de- 
parture, death 's the word. 

Antony. I must be gone. ■ 130 

Enobarbus. Under a compelling occasion, let women die: 
it were pity to cast them away for nothing ; though, between 
them and a great cause, they should be esteemed nothing. 
Cleopatra, catching but the least noise of this, dies instant- 
ly; I have seen her die twenty times upon far poorer mo- 
ment. I do think there is mettle in death, which commits 
some loving act upon her, she hath such a celerity in dying. 

Antony. She is cunning past man's thought. 138 

Enobarbus. Alack, sir, no ; her passions are made of noth- 
ing but the finest part of pure love. We cannot call her 
winds and waters sighs and tears; they are greater storms 
and tempests than almanacs can report. This cannot be 
cunning in her ; if it be, she makes a shower of rain as well 
as Jove. 



ACT I. SCENE II. 37 

Afitony. Would I had never seen her! 

Enobarbus. O, sir, you had then left unseen a wonderful 
piece of work, which not to have been blest withal would 
have discredited your travel. 

Antony. Fulvia is dead. 

Enobarbus. Sir? 15° 

Antony. . Fulvia is dead. 

Enobarbus. Fulvia! 

Antony. Dead. 

Enobarbus. Why, sir, give the gods a thankful sacrifice. 
When it pleaseth their deities to take the wife of a man from 
him, it shows to man the tailors of the earth ; comforting 
therein, that when old robes are worn out, there are mem- 
bers to make new. If there were no more women but Ful- 
via, then had you indeed a cut, and the case to be lamented., 
This grief is crowned with consolation} your old smock 
brings forth a new petticoat; — and indeed the tears live in 
an onion that should water this sorrow.) 162 

Antony. The business she hath broached in the state 
Cannot endure my absence. 

Enobarbus. And the business you have broached here 
cannot be without you; especially that of Cleopatra's, which 
wholly depends on your abode. 

Antony. No more light answers. Let our officers 
Have notice what we purpose. I shall break 
The cause of our expedience to the queen, i 7 o 

And get her leave to part; for not alone 
The death of Fulvia, with more urgent touches, 
Do strongly speak to us, but the letters too 
Of many our contriving friends in. Rome 
Petition us at home. Sextus Pompeius 
Hath given the dare to Caesar, and commands 
The empire of the sea: our slippery people, 
Whose love is never link'd to the deserver 
Till his deserts are past, begin to throw 



38 ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 

Pompey the Great and all his dignities iSo 

Upon his son; who, high in name and power, 

Higher than both in blood and life, stands up 

For the main soldier; whose quality, going on, 

The sides o' the world may danger. Much is breeding, 

Which, like the courser's hair, hath yet but life, 

And not a serpent's poison. §ay, our pleasure, 

To such whose place is under us, requires 

Our quick remove from hence. 

Enobarbus. I shall do 't. [Exeunt. 

Scene III. The Same. Another Room. 
Etiter Cleopatra, Charmian, Iras, and Alexas. 

Cleopatra. Where is he ? 

Charmian. I did not see him since. 

Cleopatra. See where he is, who 's with him, what he does ; 
I did not send you. — If you find him sad, 
Say I am dancing; if in mirth, report 
That I am sudden sick : quick, and return. [Exit Alexas. 

Charmian. Madam, methinks, if you did love him dearly, 
You do not hold the method to enforce 
The like from him. 

Cleopatra. What should I do, I do not ? 

Charmian. In each thing give him way, cross him in 
nothing. 9 

Cleopatra. \Thou teachest like a fool, — the way to lose him. ] 

Charmian. Tempt him not so too far ; I wish, forbear : 
In time we hate that which we often fear. 
But here comes Antony. 

Enter Antony. 
Cleopatra. I am sick and sullen. 

Antony. I am sorry to give breathing to my purpose, — 
Cleopatra. Help me away, clear Charmian, I shall fall; 



ACT I. SCENE III 



39 



It cannot be thus long, the sides of nature 
Will not sustain it. 

Antony. Now, my dearest queen, — 

Cleopatra. Pray you, stand farther from me. 

Antony. What's the matter? 

Cleopatra. I know, by that same eye, there 's some good 
news. 
What says the married woman ? — You may go; 20 

Would she had never given you leave to come ! 
Let her not say 't is I that keep you here ; 
I have no power upon you, hers you are. 

Anto?iy. The gods best know, — 

Cleopatra. O, never was there queen 

So mightily betray'd ! yet at the first 
I saw the treasons planted. 

Antony. Cleopatra, — 

Cleopat?-a. Why should I think you can be mine and true, 
Though you in swearing shake the throned gods, 
Who have been false to Fulvia? Riotous madness, 
To be entangled with those mouth-made vows, 30 

Which break themselves in swearing ! 

Antony. Most sweet queen, — 

Cleopatra. Nay, pray you, seek no colour for your going, 
But bid farewell, and go. When you sued staying, 
Then was the time for words \ no going then ; 
Eternity was in our lips and eyes, 
Bliss in" our brows' bent, none our parts so poor 
But was a race of heaven : they are so still, . 
Or thou, the greatest soldier of the world, 
Art turn'd the greatest liar. 1 

Antony. How now, lady ! 

Cleopatra. I would I had thy inches; thou shouldst know 
There were a heart in Egypt. r ' 

Antony. Hear me, queen. 41 

The strong necessity of time commands 



4 o ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 

f /Our services awhile, but my full heart 
Remains in use with you. Our Italy 
Shines o'er with civil swords; Sextus Pompeius 
Makes his approaches to the port of Rome : 
Equality of two domestic powers 

Breed scrupulous faction. , The hated, grown to strength, 
Are newly grown to lovefe the condemn'd Pompey, 
Rich in his father's honour, creeps apace 50 

Into the hearts of such as have not thriv'd 
Upon the present state, whose numbers threaten ; 
And quietness, grown sick of rest, would purge 
By any desperate change.: My more particular, 
And that which most with you should safe my going, 
Is Fulvia's death. 

Cleopatra. Though age from folly could not give me free- 
dom, 
It does from childishness. — Can Fulvia die ? 

AntoJiy. She 's dead, my queen. 
Look here, and at thy sovereign leisure read 60 

The garboils she awak'd; at the last, best, 
See when and where she died. 

Cleopatra. O most false love ! 

Where be the sacred vials thou shouldst fill 
With sorrowful water ? Now I see, I see, 
In Fulvia's death, how mine receiv'd shall be. 

Antony. Quarrel no more, but be prepar'd to know 
The purposes I bear, which are, or cease, 
As you shall give the advice. By the fire 
That quickens Nilus' slime, I go from hence 
Thy soldier, servant, making peace or war 70 

As thou affect'st. 

Cleopatra. Cut my lace, Charmian, come. — 

But let it be. — I am quickly ill, — and well, 
So Antony loves. 

Antony. My precious queen, forbear j 



ACT I. SCENE III. 41 

And give true evidence to his love, which stands 
An honourable trial. 

Cleopatra. So Fulvia told me. 

I prithee, turn aside and weep for her ; 
Then bid adieu to me, and say the tears 
Belong to Egypt : good now, play one scene 
Of excellent dissembling, and let it look 
Like perfect honour. 

Antony. You '11 heat my blood ; no more. 80 

Cleopatra. You can do better yet; but this is meetly. 

Antony. Now, by my sword, — 

Cleopatra. And target.— Still he mends, 

But this is not the best. Look, prithee, Charmian, 
How this Herculean Roman does become 
The carriage of his chafe. 

Antony. I '11 leave you, lady. 

Cleopatra. Courteous lord, one word. 

Sir, you and I must part, — but that 's not it; 
Sir, you and I have lov'd, — but there 's not it; 
That you know well : something it is I would, — 
O, my oblivion is a very Antony, 90 

And I am all forgotten. 

Antony. But that your royalty 

Holds idleness your subject, I should take you 
For idleness itself. 

Cleopatra. 'T is sweating labour 

To bear such idleness so near the heart 
As Cleopatra this. But, sir, forgive me, 
Since my becomings kill me when they do not 
Eye well to you. Your honour calls you hence; 
Therefore be deaf to my unpitied folly, 
And all the gods go with you ! Upon your sword 
Sit laurel victory ! and smooth success 100 

Be strew'd before your feet! 

Antony. Let us go. Come ; 



4 2 ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 

Our separation so abides and flies, 

That thou, residing here, go'st yet with me, 

And I, hence fleeting, here remain with thee. 

Away ! [Exeunt. 

Scene IV. Rome. C Cesar's House. 

Enter Octavius Caesar, reading a letter, Lepidus, and their 

train. 

Ccesar. You may see, Lepidus, and henceforth know. 
It is not Caesar's natural vice to hate 
Our great competitor. From Alexandria 
This is the news : he fishes, drinks, and wastes 
The lamps of night in revel ; is not more manlike 
Than Cleopatra, nor the queen of Ptolemy 
More womanly than he; hardly gave audience, or 
Vouchsaf d to think he had partners : you shall find there 
A man who is the abstract of all faults 
That all men follow. 

Lepidus. I must not think there are 10 

Evils enow to darken all his goodness. 
His faults in him seem as the spots of heaven, 
More fiery by night's blackness, hereditary 
Rather than purchas'd, what he cannot change 
Than what he chooses. 

Ccesar. You are too indulgent. Let us grant it is not 
Amiss to tumble on the bed of Ptolemy, 
To give a kingdom for a mirth, to sit 
And keep the turn of tippling with a slave, 
To reel the streets at noon and stand the buffet 20 

With knaves that smell of sweat; say this becomes him, — 
As his composure must be rare indeed 
Whom these things cannot blemish, — yet must Antony 
No way excuse his soils, when we do bear 
So great weight in his lightness. If he fill'd 



ACT I. SCENE IV. 43 

His vacancy with his voluptuousness, 

Full surfeits and the dryness of his bones 

Call on him for 't ; but to confound such time 

That drums him from his sport, and speaks as loud 

As his own state and ours, — 't is to be chid 30 

As we rate boys, who, being mature in knowledge, 

Pawn their experience to their present pleasure, 

And so rebel to judgment. 

Enter a Messenger. 

Lepidus. Here 's more news. 

Messenger. Thy biddings have been done ; and every hour, 

Most noble Caesar, shalt thou have report 

How 't is abroad. Pompey is strong at sea, 

And it appears he is belov'd of those 

That only have fear'd Caesar; to the ports 

The discontents repair, and men's reports 

Give him much wrong'd. 

Ccesar. I should have known no less. 40 

It hath been taught us from the primal state, 

That he which is was wish'd until he were;^ 
i And the ebb'd man, ne'er lov'd till ne'er worth love, 
[ Comes dear'd by being lack'd. This common body, 

Like to a vagabond flag upon the stream, 

Goes to and back, lackeying the varying tide, 

To rot itself with motion. 

Messenger. Caesar, I bring thee word, 

Menecrates and Menas, famous pirates, 

Make the sea serve them, which they ear and wound 

With keels of every kind : many hot inroads 5° 

They make in Italy; the borders maritime 

Lack blood to think on 't, and flush youth revolt. 

No vessel can peep forth, but 't is as soon 

Taken as seen ; for Pompey 's name strikes more 

Than could his war resisted. 



44 ANTONY AND CLE OP A TEA. 

Ccesar. Antony, 

Leave thy lascivious wassails. When thou once 
Wast beaten from Modena, where thou slew'st 
Hirtius and Pansa, consuls, at thy heel 
Did famine follow, whom thou fought'st against, 
Though daintily brought up, with patience more 60 

Than savages could suffer : thou didst drink 
The stale of horses and the gilded puddle J 
Which beasts would cough at ; thy palate then did deign 
The roughest berry on the rudest hedge ; 
Yea, like the stag, when snow the pasture sheets, 
The barks of trees thou browsedst ; on the Alps 
It is reported thou didst eat strange flesh, 
Which some did die to look on : and all this — 
It wounds thine honour that I speak it now — 
Was borne so like a soldier, that thy cheek 70 

So much as lank'd not. 

Lepidus. 'T is pity of him. 

Ccesar. Let his shames quickly 
Drive him to Rome. 'T is time we twain 
Did show ourselves i' the field ; and to that end 
Assemble we immediate council : Pompey 
Thrives in our idleness. 

Lepidus. To-morrow, Caesar, 

I shall be furnish'd to inform you rightly 
Both what by sea and land I can be able 
To front this present time. 

Cczsar. Till which encounter, 

It is my business too. Farewell. 80 

Lepidus. Farewell, my lord. What you shall know mean- 
time 
Of stirs abroad, I shall beseech you, sir, 
To let me be partaker. 

Ccesar. Doubt not, sir; 

I knew it for my bond. [Exeunt. 



ACT I. SCENE V. 45 



Scene V. Alexandria. Cleopatra? s Palace. 
Enter Cleopatra, Charmian, Iras, and Mardian. 

Cleopatra. Charmian ! 

Charmian. Madam ? 

Cleopati'a. H a, h a ! — 
Give me to drink mandragora. 

Charmian. Why, madam ? 

Cleopatra. That I might sleep out this great gap of time 
My Antony is away. 

Charmian. You think of him too much. 

Cleopatra. 0, 't is treason ! 

Charmian. Madam, I trust, not so. 

Cleopatra. Thou, eunuch Mardian ! 

Mardian. What 's your highness' pleasure ? 

Cleopatra. Not now to hear thee sing. — O Charmian, 
Where think'st thou he is now ? Stands he, or sits he ? 10 
Or does he walk ? or is he on his horse ? 
O happy horse, to bear the weight of Antony ! 
Do bravely, horse ! for wot'st thou whom thou mov'st ? 
The demi-Atlas of this earth, the arm 
And burgonet of men. — He 's speaking now, 
Or murmuring ' Where \s my serpent of old Nile ?' 
For so he calls me; now I feed myself 
With most delicious poison. — Think on me, 
That am with Phoebus' amorous pinches black, 
And wrinkled deep in time? Broad-fronted Csesar, 20 

When thou wast here above the ground, I was 
A morsel for a monarch; and great Pompey 
Would stand and make his eyes grow in my brow: 
There would he anchor his aspect and die 
With looking on his life. 



4 6 ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 

Enter Alexas. 

Alexas. Sovereign of Egypt, hail ! 

Cleopatra. How much unlike art thou Mark Antony ! 
Yet, coming from him, that great medicine hath 
With his tinct gilded thee. — 
How goes it with my brave Mark Antony ? 

Alexas. Last thing he did, dear queen, 50 

He kiss'd, — the last of many doubled kisses, — 
This orient pearl. His speech sticks in my heart. 

Cleopatra. Mine ear must pluck it thence. 
I Alexas. ' Good friend,' quoth he, 

' Say, the firm Roman to great Egypt sends 
This treasure of an oyster ; at whose foot, 
To mend the petty present, I will piece 
Her opulent throne with kingdoms : all the east, 
Say thou, shall call her mistress.' So he nodded, 
And soberly did mount an arm-gaunt steed, 
Who neigh'd so high, that what I would have spoke 40 

Was beastly dumb'd by him. 

Cleopatra. What, was he sad or merry ? 

Alexas. Like to the time o' the year between the extremes 
Of hot and cold, he was nor sad nor merry. 

Cleopatra. O well-divided disposition ! Note him, 
Note him, good Charmian, 't is the man, but note him : 
He was not sad, for he would shine on those 
That make their looks by his ; he was not merry, 
Which seem'd to tell them his remembrance lay 
In Egypt with his joy; but between both. 
O heavenly mingle ! — Be'st thou sad or merry, so 

The violence of either thee becomes, 
So does it no man else. — Met'st thou my posts? 

\Alexas. Ay, madam, twenty several messengers. 
Why do you send so thick? 

Cleopatra. Who 's born that day 



47 



6o 



ACT I. SCENE V. 

When I forget to send to Antony, 
Shall die a beggar. — Ink and paper, Charmian. — 
Welcome, my good Alexas. — Did I, Charmian, 
Ever love Caesar so? 

Charmian. O that brave Caesar! 

Cleopatra. Be chok'd with such another emphasis! 
Say, the brave Antony. 

Charmian. The valiant Caesar ! 

Cleopatra. By Isis, I will give thee bloody teeth, 
If thou with Caesar paragon again 
My man of men. 

Charmian. By your most gracious pardon, 

I sing but after you. 

Cleopatra. My salad days, 

When I was green in judgment, — cold in blood, 
To say as I said then ! — But, come, away ; 
Get me ink and paper. 
He shall have every day a several greeting, 
Or I '11 unpeople Egypt. [Exeunt. 




OSTIA AT THE PRESENT DAY. 

the port of Rome (i. 3. 46). 




The barge she sat in, like a burnish'd throne, 
Burn'd on the water (ii. 2. 192). 



ACT II. 

Scene I. Messina. Pompefs House. 

Enter Pompey, Menecrates, and Menas, in warlike manner. 

^ Pompey. If the great gods be just, they~sh&ll assist 
(/The deeds of justest men. 

Menecrates. Know, worthy Pompey, 

That what they do delay, they not deny. 

Pompey. Whiles we are suitors to their throne, decays 
The thing we sue for. 

Menecrates. We, ignorant of ourselves, 

UJ Beg often our own harms, which the wise powers 



ACT II SCENE I 



49 



Deny us for our good ; so find we profit 
By losing of our prayers. 

Pompey. I shall do well : 

The people love me, and the sea is mine; 
My powers are crescent, and my auguring hope 10 

Says it will come to the full. Mark Antony 
In Egypt sits at dinner, and will make 
No wars without doors; Caesar gets money where 
He loses hearts; Lepidus flatters both, 
Of both is flatter'd, but he neither loves, 
Nor either cares for him. 

Menas. Caesar and Lepidus 

Are in the field ; a mighty strength they carry. 

Pompey. Where have you this? 't is false. 

Menas. From Silvius, sir. 

Pompey. He dreams; I know they are in Rome together, 
Looking for Antony. But all the charms of love, 20 

Salt Cleopatra, soften thy wan'd lip ! 
Let witchcraft join with beauty, lust with both ! 
Tie up the libertine in a field of feasts. 
Keep his brain fuming ! Epicurean cooks 
Sharpen with cloyless sauce his appetite, 
That sleep and feeding may prorogue his honour 
Even till a Lethe'd dulness ! — ; 

Enter Varrius. 

How now, Varrius ! 
Varrius. This is most certain that I shall deliver : 
Mark Antony is every hour in Rome 

Expected ; since he went from Egypt 't is 30 

A space for further travel. 

Pompey. I could have given less matter 

A better ear. — Menas, I did not think 
This amorous surfeiter would have donn'd his helm 
For such a petty war; his soldiership 

D 



50 ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 

Is twice the other twain. But let us rear 
The higher our opinion, that our stirring 
Can from the lap of Egypt's widow pluck 
The ne'er-lust-wearied Antony. 

Menas. I cannot hope 

Caesar and Antony shall well greet together. 
His wife that 's dead did trespasses to Caesar; 40 

His brother warr'cl upon him ; although, I think, 
Not mov'd by Antony. 

Pompey. I know not, Menas, 

How lesser enmities may give way to greater. 
Were 't not that we stand up against them all, 
'T were pregnant they should square between themselves, 
For they have entertained cause enough 
To draw their swords ; but how the fear of us 
May cement their divisions and bind up 
The petty difference, we yet not know. 

Be 't as our gods will have 't ! It only stands 50 

Our lives upon to use our strongest hands. 
Come, Menas. \_Exewit. 

Scene II. Rome. The House of Lepidns. 
Enter Enobarbus and Lepidus. 

Lepidus. Good Enobarbus, 't is a worthy deed, 
And shall become you well, to entreat your captain 
To soft and gentle speech. 

Enobarbus. I shall entreat him 

To answer like himself; if Caesar move him, 
Let Antony look over Caesar's head 
And speak as loud as Mais. By Jupiter, 
Were I the wearer of Antonius' beard, 
I would not shave 't to-day. 

Lepidus. 'T is not a time 

For private stomaching. 



ACT II. SCENE II 51 

Enobarbus. Every time Q 

Serves for the matter that is then born in 't. 10 

Lepidics. But small to greater matters must give way. 

Enobarbus. Not if the small come first. 

Lepidus. Your speech is passion j 

But, pray you, stir no embers up. Here comes 
The noble Antony. 

Enter Antony and Ventidius. 
Enobarbus. And yonder, Caesar. 

Enter C^esar, Maecenas, and Agrippa. 

Antony. If we compose well here, to Parthia; 
Hark, Ventidius. 

Ccesar. I do not know, 

Maecenas; ask Agrippa. 

Lepidus. Noble friends, 

That which combin'd us was most great, and let not 
A leaner action rend us. What 's amiss, 
May it be gently heard ; [when we debate 20 

Our trivial difference loud, we do commit 
Murther in healing wounds. Then, noble partners, 
The rather for I earnestly beseech, 
Touch you the sourest points with sweetest terms, 
Nor curstness grow to the matter. 

Antony. 'T is spoken well. 

Were we before our armies, and to fight, 
I should do thus. . {Flourish. 

Ccesar. Welcome to Rome. 



Antony. 


Thank you. 


Ccesar. 


Sit. 


Antony. 


Sit, sir. 


Ccesar. 


Nay, then 


A?itony. 


I learn, you take things ill which are not so, 



Or being, concern you not. 



52 



'ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 



Ccesar. I must be laugh'd at, 30 

If, or for nothing or a little, I 
Should say myself offended, and with you 
Chiefly i' the world ; more laugh'd at, that I should 
Once name you derogately, when to sound your name 
It not concern'd me. 

Antony. My being in Egypt, Caesar, 

What was 't to you? 

Ccesar. No more than my residing here at Rome 
Might be to you in Egypt ; yet 5 if you there 
Did practise on my state, your being in Egypt 
Might be my question. 

Antony. How intend you, practis'd? 40 

Ccesar. You may be pleas'd to catch at mine intent 
By what did here befall me. Your wife and brother 
Made wars upon me ; and their contestation 
Was theme for you, you were the word of war. 
. Antony. You do mistake your business ; my brother never 
Did urge me in his act. I did inquire it, 
And have my learning from some true reports, 
That drew their swords with you. Did he not rather 
Discredit my authority with yours, 

And make the wars alike against my stomach, 50 

Having alike your cause? Of this my letters 
Before did satisfy you. If you '11 patch a quarrel, 
As matter whole you have not to make it with, 
It must not be with this. 

Ccesar. You praise yourself 

By laying defects of judgment to me, but 
You patch'd up your excuses. 

Antony. Not so, not so ; 

I know you could not lack, I am certain on 't, 
Very necessity of this thought, that I, 
Your partner in the cause 'gainst which he fought," 
Could not with graceful eyes attend those wars 60' 



ACT II. SCENE II. 53 

Which fronted mine own peace. As for my wife, 
I would you had her spirit in such another; 
The third o' the world is yours, which with a snaffle 
You may pace easy, but not such a wife. 

Enobarbus. Would we had all such wives, that the men 
might go to wars with the women ! 

Antony. So much uncurbable, her garboils, Caesar, 
Made out of her impatience, which not wanted 
Shrewdness of policy too, I grieving grant 
Did you too much disquiet; for that you must ?> 

But say, I could not help it. 

Ccesar. I wrote to you 

When rioting in Alexandria; you 
Did pocket up my letters, and with taunts 
Did gibe my missive out of audience. 

Antony. Sir, 

He fell upon me ere admitted : then 
Three kings I had newly feasted, and did want 
Of what I was i' the morning ; but next day 
I told him of myself, which was as much 
As to have ask'd him pardon. Let this fellow 
Be nothing of our strife ; if we contend, 8o 

Out of our question wipe him. 

Ccesar. You have broken 

The article of your oath, which you shall never 
Have tongue to charge me with. 

Lepidus. Soft, Caesar ! 

Antony. No ' 

Lepidus, let him speak ; 

The honour is sacred which he talks on now, 
Supposing that I lack'd it. But, on, Caesar ; 
The article of my oath. 

Ccesar. To lend me arms and aid when I requir'd them ; 
The which you both denied. 

Antony. Neglected rather, 



54 



ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 



And then when poison'd hours had bound me up 9 o 

From mine own knowledge. As nearly as I may, 

I '11 play the penitent to you; but mine honesty 

Shall not make poor my greatness, nor my power 

Work without it. Truth is, that Fulvia, 

To have me out of Egypt, made wars here ; 

For which myself, the ignorant motive, do 

So far ask pardon as befits mine honour 

To stoop in such a case. 

Lepidus. 'T is noble spoken. 

\ ' Mcecenas. If it might please you, to enforce no further 
The griefs between ye ; to forget them quite ioo 

Were to remember that the present need 
Speaks to atone you. 

Lepidus. Worthily spoken, Maecenas. 

Enobarbus. Or, if you borrow one another's love for the 
instant, you may, when you hear no more words of Pompey, 
return it again ; you shall have time to wrangle in when you 
have nothing else to do. 

Antony. Thou art a soldier only; speak no more. 

Enobarbus. That truth should be silent I had almost forgot. 

Antony. You wrong this presence; therefore speak no 
more. 

Enobarbus. Go to, then ; your considerate stone. no 

Ccesar. I do not much dislike the matter, but 
The manner of his speech; for 't cannot be 
We shall remain in friendship, our conditions 
So differing in their acts. Yet, if I knew 
What hoop should hold us stanch, from edge to edge 
O' the world I would pursue it. 

Agrippa. Give me leave, Caesar, — 

Ccesar. Speak, Agrippa. 

Agrippa. Thou hast a sister by the mother's side, 
Aclmir'd Octavia; great Mark Antony 
Is now a widower. 



ACT II. SCENE II 55 

Ccesar. Say not so, Agrippa; 120 

If Cleopatra heard you, your reproof 
Were well deserv'd of rashness. 

Antony. I am not married, Caesar; let me hear Agrippa 
further speak. 

Agrippa. To hold you in perpetual amity, 
To make you brothers, and to knit your hearts 
With an unslipping knot, take Antony 
Octavia to his wife; whose beauty claims 
No worse a husband than the best of men, 
Whose virtue and whose general graces speak 130 

That which none else can utter. By this marriage, 
All little jealousies which now seem great, 
And all great fears which now import their clangers, 
Would then be nothing;' ^truths would be tales,} 
Where now half tales be truths; her love to both 
Would each to other and all loves to both 
Draw after her. Pardon what I have spoke, 
For 't is a studied, not a present thought, 
By duty ruminated. 

Antony. Will Caesar speak ? 

Ccesar. Not till he hears how Antony is touch'd 140 

With what is spoke already. 

Anto?iy. What power is in Agrippa, 

If I would say, 'Agrippa, be it so,' 
To make this good? 

CcBsar. The power of Caesar, and 

His power unto Octavia. 

Antony. May I never 

To this good purpose, that so fairly shows, 
Dream of impediment ! — Let me have thy hand ; 
Further this act of grace, and from this hour 
The heart of brothers govern in our loves 
And sway our great designs ! 

Ccesar. There is my hand. 



56 ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 

A sister I bequeath you, whom no brother i S o 

Did ever love so clearly ; let her live 

To join our kingdoms and our hearts, and never 

Fly off our loves again ! 

Lepidus. Happily, amen ! 

Antony. I did not think to draw my sword 'gainst Pompey, 
For he hath laid strange courtesies and great 
Of late upon me. I must thank him only, 
Lest my remembrance suffer ill report; 
At heel of that, defy him. 

Lepidus. Time calls upon 's ; 

Of us must Pompey presently be sought, 
Or else he seeks out us. 

Antony. Where lies he ? 160 

Ccesar. About the Mount Misenum. 

Antony. What is his strength by land ? 

Ccesar. Great and increasing ; but by sea 
He is an absolute master. 

Antony. So is the fame. 

Would we had spoke together ! Haste we for it ; 
Yet, ere we put ourselves in arms, dispatch we 
The business we have talk'd of. 

Ccesar. With most gladness; 

And do invite you to my sister's view, 
Whither straight I '11 lead you. 

A?ttony. Let us, Lepidus, 

Not lack your company. 

lepidus. Noble Antony, i 7 o 

Not sickness should detain me. 

[Flourish. Exeunt Ccesar, Antony, and Lepidus. 
^\~Mcecenas. Welcome from Egypt, sir. 

Enobarbus. Half the heart of Caesar, worthy Maecenas ! — 
My honourable friend, Agrippa ! 

Agrippa. Good Enobarbus ! 

\Mcecenas. We have cause to be glad that matters are so 
well digested. You stay'd well by 't in Egypt. 



ACT II. SCENE II. 57 

Enobarbus. Ay, sir; we did sleep day out of countenance, 
and made the night light with drinking. 

Xfyfcecenas. Eight wild boars roasted whole at a breakfast, 
and but twelve persons there; is this true? 181 

Enobarbus. This was but as a fly by an eagle ; we had 
much more monstrous matter of feast, which worthily de- 
served noting. 

^cecenas. She 's a most triumphant lady, if report be 
square to her. 

Enobarbus. When she first met Mark Antony, she pursed 
up his heart, upon the river of Cydnus. 

Agrippa. There she appeared indeed, or my reporter de- 
vised well* for her. 190 

Enobarbus. I will tell you. 
The barge she sat in, like a burnish'd throne, 
Burn'd on the water; the poop was beaten gold; 
Purple the sails, and so perfumed that 
jThe winds were love-sick with them;) the oars were silver, 
(Which to the tune of flutes kept stroke, and made 
jThe water which they beat to follow faster, 
(As amorous of their strokes. For her own person, 
It beggar'd all description : she did lie 

[In her pavilion — cloth-of-gold of tissue — 200 

O'erpicturing that Venus where we see 
The fancy outwork nature ; on each side her 
Stood pretty dimpled boys, like smiling Cupids, 
With divers-colour'd fans, whose wind did seem 
To glow the delicate cheeks which they did cool, 
And what they undid did. 

Agrippa. O, rare for Antony ! 

H Enobarbus. Her gentlewomen, like the Nereides, 
So many mermaids, tended her i' the eyes, 
And made their bends adornings ; at the helm 
A seeming mermaid steers; the silken tackle 210 

Swell with the touches of those flower-soft hands, 



58 ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 

That yarely frame the office. From the barge 
A strange invisible perfume hits the sense 
Of the adjacent wharfs. The city cast 
Her people out upon her, and Antony, 
Enthron'd i' the market-place, did sit alone, 
Whistling to the air; which, but for vacancy, 
Had gone to gaze on Cleopatra too 
And made a gap in nature. 

Agrippa. Rare Egyptian ! 

Etiobarbus. Upon her landing, Antony sent to her, 220 
Invited her to supper ; she replied, 
It should be better he became her guest, 
Which she entreated. Our courteous Antony, 
Whom ne'er the word of 'No ' woman heard speak, 
Being barber'd ten times o'er, goes to the feast, 
And for his ordinary pays his heart 
For. what his eyes eat only. 
. Agrippa. Royal wench ! 

She made great Caesar lay his sword to bed. 

Enobarbus. I saw her once 
Hop forty paces through the public street; 230 

And having lost her breath, she spoke ; and panted, 
That she did make defect perfection, 
And, breathless, power breathe forth. 

Maecenas. Now Antony must leave her utterly. 

Enobarbus. Never; he will not. 
Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale 
Her infinite variety : other women cloy 
The appetites they feed, but she makes hungry 
1 Where most she satisfies; for vilest things 
' Become themselves in her, that the holy priests 2+0 

Bless her when she is riggish. 

s>^ Mcecenas. If beauty, wisdom, modesty, can settle 
The heart of Antony, Octavia is 
A blessed lottery to him. 



ACT II. SCENE III. 



59 



Agrippa. Let us go. — 

Good Enobarbus, make yourself my guest 
Whilst you abide here. 

Enobarbus. Humbly, sir, I thank you. [Exeunt. 

Scene III. The Same. Cessans House. 

Enter Antony, Caesar, Octavia between them, and Attend- 
ants. 

Antony. The world and my great office will sometimes 
Divide me from your bosom. 

Octavia. All which time 

Before the gods my knee shall bow my prayers 
To them for you. 

Antony. Good night, sir. — My Octavia, 

ORead not my blemishes in the world's report; 
I have not kept my square, but that to come 
Shall all be done by the rule. Good night, dear lady. — 
Good night, sir. 

Ccesar. Good night. [Exeunt Ccesdr and Octavia. 

Enter Soothsayer. 

Antony. Now ! sirrah ; you do wish yourself in Egypt ? 10 

Soothsayer. Would I had never come from thence, nor you 
thither ! 

Antony. If you can, your reason ? 

Soothsayer. I see it in my motion, have it not in my 
tongue; but yet hie you to Egypt again. 

Antony. Say to me, whose fortunes shall rise higher, Cae- 
sar's or mine ? 

Soothsayer. Caesar's. 
Therefore, O Antony, stay not by his side. 
Thy demon, that thy spirit which keeps thee, is 20 

Noble, courageous, high, unmatchable, 
Where Caesar's is not ; but near him thy angel 



60 ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 

Becomes a fear, as being o'erpower'd : therefore 
Make space enough between you. 

Antony. Speak this no more. 

Soothsayer. To none but thee; no more but when to thee. 
If thou dost play with him at any game, 
Thou art sure to lose; and, of that natural luck, 
He beats thee 'gainst the odds : thy lustre thickens 
When he shines by. I say again, thy spirit 
Is all afraid to govern thee near him, 3 o 

But, he away, 't is noble. 

Antony. Get thee gone; 
Say to Ventidius I would speak with him. — 

[Exit Soothsayer. 
He shall to Parthia. — Be it art or hap, 
He hath spoken true; the very dice obey him, 
And in our sports my better cunning faints 
Under his chance. If we draw lots, he speeds; 
His cocks do win the battle still of mine, 
When it is all to nought; and his quails ever 
Beat mine, inhoop'd, at odds. I will to Egypt; 40 

And though I make this marriage for my peace, 
I' the east my pleasure lies. — 

Enter Ventidius. 

O, come, Ventidius, 
You must to Parthia : your commission 's ready; 
Follow me, and receive 't. [Exeunt. 

Scene IV. The Same. A Street. 

Enter Lepidus, Maecenas, and Agrippa. 

Lepidus. Trouble yourselves no further; pray you, hasten 
Your generals after. 
• Agrippa. Sir, Mark Antony 

Will e'en but kiss Octavia, and we '11 follow. 



ACT II. SCENE V. 61 

Lepidus. Till I shall see you in your soldier's dress, 
Which will become you both, farewell. 

Maecenas. We shall, 

As I conceive the journey, be at the Mount 
Before you, Lepidus. 

Lepidus. Your way is shorter; 

My purposes do draw me much about : 

You '11 win two days upon me. 

Maecenas. ) c . , . 

, . y bir, good success ! 

Agrippa. j 

Lepidus. Farewell. [Exeunt. 

Scene V. Alexandria. Cleopatra's Palace. 
Enter Cleopatra, Charmian, Iras, and Alexas. 
f Cleopatra. Give me some music; music, moody food \ 
L_Of us that trade in love. 

Attendants. The music, ho ! 

Enter Mardian the Eunuch. 

Cleopatra. Let it alone ; let 's to billiards : come, Charmian. 

Charmian. My arm is sore ; best play with Mardian. 

Cleopatra. As well a woman with an eunuch play'd 
As with a woman. — Come, you '11 play with me, sir? 

Mardian. As w*ell as I can, madam. 

Cleopatra. And when good will is show'd, though 't come 
T) too short, 

The actor may plead pardon. I '11 none now. — 

Give me mine angle ; we '11 to the river : there, io 

My music playing far off, I will betray 

Tawny-finn'd fishes ; my bended hook shall pierce 

Their slimy jaws, and, as I draw them up, 

I '11 think them every one an Antony, 

And say ' Ah, ha ! you 're caught.' 

Charmian. 'T was merry when 



62 ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 

You wager'd on your angling; when your diver 
Did hang a salt-fish on his hook, which he 
.With fervency drew up. 

Cleopatra. That time, — O times ! — 

I laugh'd him out of patience; and that night 
I laugh'd him into patience: and next morn, 20 

Ere the ninth hour, I drunk him to his bed; 
Then put my tires and mantles on him, whilst 
I wore his sword Philippan. — 

Enter a Messenger. 

O, from Italy ! 
Ram thou thy fruitful tidings in mine ears, 
That long time have been barren. 

Messenger. Madam, madam, — 

Cleopatra. Antony 's dead ! — If thou say so, villain, 
Thou kill'st thy mistress ; but well and free, 
If thou so yield him, there is gold, and here 
My bluest veins to kiss, a hand that kings 
Have lipp'd, and trembled kissing. 30 

Messenger. First, madam, he is well. 

Cleopatra. Why, there 's more gold. 

But, sirrah, mark, we use 
To say the dead are well ; bring it to that, 
The gold I give thee will I melt and pour 
Down thy ill-uttering throat. 

Messenger. Good madam, hear me. 

Cleopatra. Well, go to, I will ; 

But there 's no goodness in thy face. If Antony 
Be free and healthful, — so tart a favour 
To trumpet such good tidings ! if not well, 
Thou shouldst come like a fury crown'd with snakes, 40 

Not like a formal man. 

Messenger. Will 't please you hear me ? 

Cleopatra. I have a mind to strike thee ere thou speak'st; 



ACT II. SCENE V. Q 



o 



Yet, if thou say Antony lives, is well, 
Or friends with Caesar, or not captive to him, 
I '11 set thee in a shower of gold, and hail 
Rich pearls upon thee. 

Messenger. Madam, he 's well. 

Cleopatra. Well said. 

Messenger. And friends with Caesar. 

Cleopatra. Thou 'rt an honest man. 

Messenger. Caesar and he are greater friends than ever. 

Cleopatra. Make thee a fortune from me. 

Messenger. But yet, madam, — 

Cleopatra. I do not like 'but yet,' it does allay 50 

The good precedence; fie upon 'but yet!' 
' But yet ' is as a{ gaolerj to bring forth 
Some monstrous malefactor. Prithee, friend, 
Pour out the pack of matter to mine ear, 
The good and bad together: he 's friends with Csesar; 
In state of health, thou say'st; and thou say'st, free. 

Messenger. Free, madam! no; I made no such report: 
He 's bound unto Octavia. 

Cleopatra. For what good turn ? 

Messenger. For the best turn i' the bed. 

Cleopatra. . I am pale, Charmian. 

Messenger. Madam, he 's married to Octavia. - 60 

Cleopatra. The most infectious pestilence upon thee ! 

[Strikes him down. 

Messenger. Good madam, patience. 

Cleopatra. What say you? — Hence, 

[Strikes him again. 
Horrible villain ! or I '11 spurn thine eyes 
Like balls before me ; I '11 unhair thy head.. 

[She hales hi?n up and doivn. 
Thou shalt be whipp'd with wire, and stew'd in brine, 
Smarting in lingering pickle. 

Messenger. Gracious madam, 

I that do bring the news made not the match. 



64 ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 

Cleopatra. Say 't is not so, a province I will give thee, 
And make thy fortunes proud; the blow thou hadst 
Shall make thy peace for moving me to rage, 7 o 

And I will boot thee with what gift beside 
Thy modesty can beg. 

Messenger. He 's married, madam. 

Cleopatra. Rogue, thou hast liv'd too long. 

\Draws a knife. 

Messenger. Nay, then I'll run. — 

What mean you, madam? I have made no fault. [Exit. 

Charmian. Good madam, keep yourself within yourself; 
The man is innocent. 

Cleopatra. Some innocents scape not the thunderbolt. — 
Melt Egypt into Nile! and kindly creatures 
Turn all to serpents ! — Call the slave again ; 
Though I am mad, I will not bite him : call. 80 

Charmian. He is afeard to come. 

Cleopatra. I will not hurt him. 

[Exit Charmian. 
These hands do lack nobility, that they strike 
A meaner than myself, since I myself 
Have given myself the cause. — 

Re-enter Charmian and Messenger. 

Come hither, sir. 
(jThough it be honest, it is never good 
To bring bad news ; give to a gracious message 
An host of tongues, but let ill tidings tell 
Themselves when they be felt) 

Messenger. I have done my duty. 

Cleopatra. Is he married? 
I cannot hate thee worser than I do, 90 

If thou again say yes. 

Messenger. He 's married, madam. 

Cleopatra. The gods confound thee! dost thou hold there 
still? 



ACT II. SCENE V. 65 

Messenger. Should I lie, madam? 

Cleopatra. O, I would thou didst, 

So half my Egypt were submerg'd and made 
A cistern for scal'd snakes! Go, get thee hence; 
Hadst thou Narcissus in thy face, to me 
Thou wouldst appear most ugly. He is married ? 
Messenger. I crave your highness' pardon. 
Cleopatra. He is married? 

Messenger. Take no offence that I would not offend you; 
To punish me for what you make me do I0 ° 

Seems much unequal. He 's married to Octavia. 

Cleopatra. O, that his fault should make a knave of thee, 
That art not what thou 'rt sure of !— Get thee hence : 
The merchandise which thou hast brought from Rome 
Are all too dear for me ; lie they upon thy hand, 
And be undone by 'em ! [Exit Messenger. 

Charmian. Good your highness, patience. 

Cleopatra. In praising Antony, I have disprais'd Caesar. 
Charmian. Many times, madam. 

Cleopatra. I am paid for 't now. 

Lead me from hence ; 

I faint: O Iras! Charmian !— 'T is no matter.— »o 

Go to the fellow, good Alexas ; bid him 
Report the feature of Octavia, her years, 
Her inclination, let him not leave out 
The colour of her hair: bring me word quickly. — 

[Exit Alexas. 

Let him for ever go; — let him not — Charmian, 

Though he be painted one way like a Gorgon, 

The other way 's a Mars.— Bid you Alexas [To Mardian. 

Bring me word how tall she is.— Pity me, Charmian, 

But do not speak to me. — Lead me to my chamber. 

[Exeunt. 

E 



66 ANTONY AND CLEOPA TRA. 



Scene VI. Near Misenum. 

Flourish. Enter Pompey and Menas at one side, with drum 
and trumpet; at another, Caesar, Antony, Lepidus, Eno- 
barbus, Maecenas, with Soldiers marching. 

Pompey. Your hostages I have, so have you mine ; 
And we shall talk before we fight. 

Ccesar. Most meet 

That first we come to words ; and therefore have we 
Our written purposes before us sent, 
Which if thou hast consider'd, let us know 
If 't will tie up thy discontented sword, 
And carry back to Sicily much tall youth 
That else must perish here. 

.Pompey. To you all three, 

The senators alone of this great world, 

Chief factors for the gods, I do not know 10 

Wherefore my father should revengers want* 
Having a son and friends ; since Julius Caesar, 
Who at Philippi the good Brutus ghosted, 
There saw you labouring for him. What was 't 
That mov'd pale Cassius to conspire, and what 
Made the all-honour'd, honest Roman, Brutus, 
With the arm'd rest, courtiers of beauteous freedom, 
To drench the Capitol, but that they would 
Have one man but a man? And that is it 
Hath made me rig my navy, at whose burthen 20 

The anger'd ocean foams ; with which I meant 
To scourge the ingratitude that despiteful Rome 
Cast on my noble father. 

Ccesar. Take your time. 

Antony. Thou canst not fear us, Pompey, with thy sails ; 
We '11 speak with thee at sea : at land, thou know'st 
How much we do o'ercount thee. 



ACT II. SCENE VI. 67 

Pompey. At land, indeed, 

Thou dost o'ercount me of my father's house ) 
But since the cuckoo builds not for himself, 
Remain in 't as thou mayst. 

Lepidus. Be pleas'd to tell us — 

For this is from the present — how you take 30 

The offers we have sent you. 

Ccesar. There 's the point. 

Antony. Which do not be entreated to, but weigh 
What it is worth embrac'd. 

Ccesar. And what may follow, 

To try a larger fortune. 

Pompey. You have made me offer 

Of Sicily, Sardinia; and I must 
Rid all the sea of pirates ; then, to send 
Measures of wheat to Rome : this greed upon, 
To part with unhack'd edges, and bear back 
Our targes undinted. 

Ccesar. ) 

Antony. > That 's our offer. 

Lepidus. ) 

Pompey. Know, then, 

I came before you here a man prepar'd 40 

To take this offer ; but Mark Antony 
Put me to some impatience. Though I lose 
The praise of it by telling, you must know, 
When Caesar and your brother were at blows', 
Your mother came to Sicily and did find 
Her welcome friendly. 

Antony. I have heard it, Pompey, 

And am well studied for a liberal thanks 
Which I do owe you. 

Pompey. Let me have your hand ; 

I did not think, sir, to have met you here. 

Antony. The beds i' the east are soft ; and thanks to you, 



68 ANTONY AND CLEOPA TRA. 

That call'd me timelier than my purpose hither, 51 

For I have gain'd by 't. 

CcBsar. Since I saw you last, 

There is a change upon you. 

Pompey. Well, I know not 

What counts harsh fortune casts upon my face, 
But in my bosom shall she never come, 
To make my heart her vassal. 

Lepidus. Well met here. 

Pompey. I hope so, Lepidus. — Thus we are agreed ; 
I crave our composition may be written, 
And seal'd between us. 

Ccesar. That 's the next to do. 

Pompey. We '11 feast each other ere we part, and let 's 60 
Draw lots who shall begin. 

Anto?iy. That will I, Pompey. 

Potnpey. No, Antony, take the lot ; but, first 
Or last, your fine Egyptian cookery 
Shall have the fame. I have heard that Julius Caesar 
Grew fat with feasting there. 

Antony. You have heard much. 

Pompey. I have fair meanings, sir. 

A?itony. And fair words to them. 

Pompey. Then so much have I heard ; 
And I have heard, Apollodorus carried — 

Enobarbus. No more of that j he did so. 

Pompey. What, I pray you? 

Enobarbus. A certain queen to Caesar in a mattress. 70 

Pompey. I know thee now; how far'st thou, soldier? 

Enobarbus. Well ; 

And well am like to do, for I perceive 
Four feasts are toward. 

Pompey. Let me shake thy hand; 

I never hated thee. I have seen thee fight, 
When I have envied thy behaviour. 



ACT II. SCENE VI. 



69 



Enobarbus. Sir, 

I never lov'd you much, but I ha' prais'd ye 
When you have well deserv'd ten times as much 
As I have said you did. 

Pompey. Enjoy thy plainness, 

It nothing ill becomes thee. — 

Aboard my galley I invite you all. 80 

Will you lead, lords? 

Cczsar. ) 

Antony. \ Show us the way, sir. 

Lepidus. ) 

Pompey. Come. 

[Exeunt all but Menas and Enobarbus. 

Menas. [Aside] Thy father, Pompey, would ne'er have 
made this treaty. — You and I have known, sir. 

Enobarbus. At sea, I think. 

Menas. We have, sir. 

Enobarbus. You have done well by water. 

Meitas. And you by land. 

Enobarbus. I will praise any man that will praise me; 
though it cannot be denied what I have done by land. 

Menas. Nor what I have done by water. 90 

Enobarbus. Yes, something you can deny for your own 
safety ; you have been a great thief by sea. 

Menas. And you by land. 

Enobarbus. There I deny my land service/ ( But give me 
your hand, Menas ; if our eyes had authority, here they might 
take two thieves kissing. ) 

Menas. All men's faces are true, whatsome'er their hands 
are. 

Enobarbus. But there is never a fair woman has a true face. J 

Menas. No slander ; they steal hearts. 100 

Enobarbus. We came hither to fight with you. 

Menas. For my part, I am sorry it is turned to a drinking. 
Pompey doth this day laugh away his fortune. 



7° 



ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 



J 



Enobarbus. If he do, sure, he cannot weep 't back again. 

Menas. You 've said, sir. We looked not for Mark An- 
tony here; pray you, is he married to Cleopatra? 

Enobarbus. Caesar's sister is called' Octavia. 

Menas. True, sir; she was the wife of Caius Marcellus. 

Enobarbus. But she is now the wife of Marcus Antonius. 

Menas. Pray ye, sir? no 

Enobarbus. 'T is true. 

Menas. Then is Caesar and he for ever knit together. 

Enobarbus. If I were bound to divine of this unity, I would 
not prophesy so. 

Menas. I think the policy of that purpose made more in 
the marriage than the love of the parties. 

Enobarbus. I think so too ; but you shall find, the band 
that seems to tie their friendship together will be the very 
strangler of their amity. Octavia is of a holy, cold, and still 
conversation. 120 

Menas. Who would not have his wife so ? 

Enobarbus. Not he that himself is not so ; which is Mark 
Antony. He will to his Egyptian dish again: then shall the 
sighs of Octavia blow the fire up in Caesar; and, as I said 
before, that which is the strength of their amity shall prove 
the immediate author of their variance. Antony will use his 
affection where it is; he married but his occasion here. 

Mefias. And thus it may be. Come, sir, will you aboard ? 
I have a health for you. 129 

Enobarbus. I shall take it, sir ; we have used our throats 
in Egypt. 

Menas. Come, let 's away. [Exeunt. 

Scene VII. On board Pompefs Galley, off Mis enum. 
Music plays. Enter two or three Servants with a banquet. 

1 Servant. Here they '11 be, man. Some o' their plants 
are ill-rooted already; the least wind i' the world .will blow 
them down. 



ACT II. SCENE VII 7I 

2 Servant. Lepidus is high-coloured. 

i Servant. They have made him drink alms-drink. 

2 Servant. As they pinch one another by the disposition, 
he cries out 'No more;' reconciles them to his entreaty, and 
himself to the drink. 

i Servant. But it raises the greater war between him and 
his discretion. IO 

2 Servant. Why, this it is to have a name in great men's 
fellowship; I had as lief have a reed that will do me no 
service as a partisan I could not heave. 

i Servant. To be called into a huge sphere, and not to be 
seen to move in 't, are the holes where eyes should be, which 
pitifully disaster the cheeks. 

A sennet so'unded. Enter CLesar, Antony, Lepidus, Pom- 
pey, Agrippa, Maecenas, Enobarbus, Menas, with other 
Captains. 

Antony. [To Ccesar] Thus do they, sir: they take the flow 
o' the Nile 
By certain scales i' the pyramid; they know, 
By the height, the lowness, or the mean, if dearth 
Or foison follow. The higher Nilus swells, 20 

The more it promises; as it ebbs, the seedsman 
Upon the slime and ooze scatters his grain, 
And shortly comes to harvest. 

Lepidus. You 've strange serpents there. 

Antony. Ay, Lepidus. 

Lepidus. Your serpent of Egypt is bred now of your mud 
by the operation of your sun; so is your crocodile. 

Antotiy. They are so. 

Pompey. Sit, — and some wine ! — A health to Lepidus ! 

Lepidus. I am not so well as I should be, but I '11 ne'er 

OUt. 31 

Enobarbus. Not till you have slept ; I fear me you '11 be 
in till then. 



72 



ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 



Lepidns. Nay, certainly, I have heard the Ptolemies' pyra- 
mises are very goodly things ; without contradiction, I have 
heard that. 

Menas. [Aside to Pompey] Pompey, a word. 

Pompey. [Aside to Menas\ Say in mine ear : what is 't ? 

Menas. [Aside to Pompey] Forsake thy seat, I do beseech 
thee, captain, 
And hear me speak a word. 

Pompey. [Aside to Menas] Forbear me till anon. — This 
wine for Lepidus ! 41 

Lepidus. What manner o' thing is your crocodile ? 

Antony. It is shaped, sir, like itself, and it is as broad as 
it hath breadth; it is just so high as it is, and moves with it 
own organs; it lives by that which nourisheth it; and the 
elements once out of it, it transmigrates. 

Lepidus. What colour is it of? 

Antony. Of it own colour too. . 

Lepidus. 'T is a strange serpent. 

Antony. 'T is so; and the tears of it are wet. 50 

Ccesar. Will this description satisfy him ? 

Antony. With the health that Pompey gives him, else he is 
a very epicure. 

Pompey. [Aside to Menas] Go hang, sir, hang ! Tell me of 
that ? away ! 
Do as I bid you. — W T here 's this cup I calPd for ? 

Menas. [Aside to Pompey] If for the sake of merit thou 
wilt hear me, 
Rise from thy stool. 

Pompey. [Aside to Menas] I think thou 'rt mad. The mat- 
ter ? [Rises, and walks aside. 

Menas. I have ever held my cap off to thy fortunes. 

Pompey. Thou hast serv'd me with much faith. What 's 
else to say ? — 
Be jolly, lords. 

Antony. These quicksands, Lepidus, 60 

Keep off them, for you sink. 



ACT II SCENE VII. 73 

Menas. Wilt thou be lord of all the world ? 

Pompey. What say'st thou ? 

Menas. Wilt .thou be lord of the whole world ? That 's 
twice. 

Pompey. How should that be ? 

Menas. But entertain it, 

And, though thou think me poor, I am the man 
Will give thee all the world." 

Pompey. Hast thou_dmnJjjaffiJ12 »■ 

Menas. No, Pompey, I have kept me from the cup. 
Thou art, if thou dar'st be, the earthly Jove ; 
Whate'er the ocean pales, or sky inclips, 
Is thine, if thou wilt ha 't. 

Pompey. Show me which way. 70 

Menas. These three world-sharers, these competitors, 
Are in thy vessel ; let me cut the cable, 
And, when we are put off, fall to their throats : 
All there is thine. 

Pompey. Ah, this thou shouldst have done, 

And not have spoke on 't ! In me 't is villany ; 
In thee 't had been good service. Thou must know, 
Tis not my profit that does lead mine honour; 
Mine honour, it. Repent that e'er thy tongue 
Hath so betray'd thine act \ being done unknown, 
I should have found it afterwards well done, 80 

But must condemn it now. Desist, and drink. 

Menas. [Aside] For this, 
I '11 never follow thy pall'd fortunes more, 
v Who seeks, and will not take when once 'tis offer'd, 
' Shall never find it morej 

Pompey. This health to Lepidus ! 

Antony. Bear him ashore. I '11 pledge it for him, Pom- 
pey. 

Enobarbus. Here 's to thee, Menas ! 

Menas. Enobarbus, welcome ! 



74 



ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 



Pompey. Fill till the cup be hid. 

Enobarbus. There 's a strong fellow, Menas. 

[Pointing to the Attendant who carries off Lepidus. 

Menas. Why? 90 

Enobarbus. "A' bears the third part of the world, man; 
see'st not ? 

Menas. The third part, then, is drunk; would it were all, 
That it might go on wheels ! 

Enobarbus. Drink thou; increase the reels. 

Menas. Come. 

Pompey. This is not yet an Alexandrian feast. 

Antony. It ripens towards it. — Strike the vessels, ho ! 
Here is to Caesar ! 

Ccssar. I could well forbear 't. 

It 's monstrous labour, -when I wash my brain, 100 

And it grows fouler.) * 

Antony. Be a child o' the time. 

Ccesar. Possess it, I '11 make answer ; 
But I had rather fast from all four days 
Than drink so much in one. 

Enobarbus. Ha, my brave emperor ! [To Antony. 

Shall we dance now the Egyptian Bacchanals, 
And celebrate our drink ? 

Pompey. Let 's ha 't, good soldier. 

Antony. Come, let 's all take hands, 
Till that the conquering wine hath steep'd our sense 
In soft and delicate Lethe. 

Enobarbus. All take hands. — 

Make battery to our ears with the loud music. no 

The while I '11 place you : then the boy shall sing; 
The holding every man shall bear as loud 
As his strong sides can volley. 

[Music plays. Enobarbus places them hand in hand. 



ACT II. SCENE VII. 75 

Song. 

Come, thou monarch of the vine, 
Plumpy Bacchus with pink ey?ie I 
In thy fats our cares be drown' d, 
With thy graphs our hairs be crown* d! 
Cup us, till the world go rotmd, 
Cup us, till the world go round! 

CcBsar. What would you more ? — Pompey, good night. — 
Good brother, I2Q 

Let me request you off; our graver business 
Frowns at this levity.— Gentle lords, let 's part; 
You see we have burnt our cheeks. Strong Enobarb 
Is weaker than the wine, and mine own tongue 
Splits what it speaks ; the. wild disguise hath almost 
Antick'd us all. What needs more words? Good night.— 
Good Antony, your hand. 

Pompey. I '11 try you on the shore. 

Antony. And shall, sir ; give 's your hand. 

Pompey. O Antony, 

You have my father's house,— but, what ? we are friends. 
Come, down into the boat. 

Enobarbus. Take heed you fall not. — 130 

[Exeunt all but Enobarbus and Menas. 
Menas, I '11 not on shore. 

Menas. No, to my cabin. — 

These drums ! these trumpets, flutes ! what ! — 
Let Neptune hear we bid a loud farewell 
To these great fellows ; sound and be hang'd, sound out ! 

[Sound a flourish, with drums. 

Enobarbus. Hoo ! says a'. — There 's my cap. 

Menas. Hoo ! — Noble captain, come. [Exeunt. 




PROW OF A ROMAN GALLEY. 



ACT III. 

Scene I. A Plai?i in Syria. 
Enter Ventidius as it were in triumph, with Silius, and 
other Romans, Officers, and Soldiers; the dead body of 
Pacorus borne before him. 

Ventidius. Now, darting Parthia, art thou struck; and now 
Pleas'd fortune does of Marcus Crassus' death 
Make me revenger. — Bear the king's son's body 
Before our army. — Thy Pacorus, Orodes, 
Pays this for Marcus Crassus. 

Silius. Noble Ventidius, 

Whilst yet with Parthian blood thy sword is warm, 
The fugitive Parthians follow; spur through Media, 
Mesopotamia, and the shelters whither 
The routed fly : so thy grand captain Antony 
Shall set thee on triumphant chariots and •• 10 

Put garlands on thy head. 



ACT III. SCENE I. 77 

Ventidius. O Silius, Silius, 

I have done enough: a lower place, note well, 
May make too great an act; for learn this, Silius, 
Better to leave undone than by our deed 
Acquire too high a fame when him we serve 's away. 
Caesar and Antony have ever won 
More in their officer than person. Sossius, 
One of my place in Syria, his lieutenant, 
For quick accumulation of renown, 

Which he achiev'd by the minute, lost his favour. 20 

Who does i' the wars more than his captain can 
Becomes his captain's captain; and ambition, 
The soldier's virtue, rather makes choice of loss 
Than gain which darkens him. 
I could do more to do Antonius good, 
But 't would offend him, and in his offence 
Should my performance perish. 

Silius. Thou hast, Ventidius, that 

Without the which a soldier, and his sword, 
Grants scarce distinction. Thou wilt write to Antony? 

Ventidius. I '11 humbly signify what in his name, 30 

That magical word of war, we have effected; 
How, with his banners and his well-paid ranks, 
The ne'er-yet-beaten horse of Parthia 
We have jaded out o' the field. 

Silius. Where is he now ? 

Ventidius. He purposeth to Athens; whither, with what 
haste 
The weight we must convey with 's will permit, 
We shall appear before him. — On, there; pass along! 

\Exeunt. 




78 ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 



Scene II. Rome. An Antechamber in Omar's House. 
Enter Agrippa at otie door, Enobarbus at another. 

Agrippa. What, are the brothers parted ? 

Enobarbus. They have dispatch'd with Pompey, he is gone ; 
The other three are sealing. Octavia weeps 
To part from Rome; Caesar is sad; and Lepidus, 
Since Pompey's feast, as Menas says, is troubled 
With the green sickness. 

Agrippa. 'T is a noble Lepidus. 

Enobarbus. A very fine one. O, how he loves Caesar ! 

Agrippa. Nay, but how dearly he adores Mark Antony ! 

Enobarbus. Caesar ? Why, he 's the Jupiter of men. 

Agrippa. What 's Antony ? The god of Jupiter. xo 

Enobarbus. Spake you of Caesar ? Hoo ! the nonpareil ! 

Agrippa. O Antony ! O thou Arabian bird ! 

Enobarbus. Would you praise Caesar, say, — Caesar ; go no 
further. 

Agrippa. Indeed, he plied them both with excellent 
praises. 

Enobarbus. But he loves Caesar best ; yet he loves Antony. 
Hoo ! hearts, tongues, figures, scribes, bards, poets, cannot 
Think, speak, cast, write, sing, number, hoo ! 
His love to Antony. But as for Caesar, 
Kneel down, kneel down, and wonder. 

Agrippa. Both he loves. 

Enobarbus. They are his shards, and he their beetle. 
[Trumpets within.] So; 20 

This is to horse. — Adieu, noble Agrippa. 

Agrippa. Good fortune, worthy soldier, and farewell. 

Efiter Caesar, Antony, Lepidus, and Octavia. 

Antony. No further, sir. 

Ccesar. You take from me a great part of myself; 



ACT III. SCENE II. 79 

Use me well in 't. — Sister, prove such a wife 

As my thoughts make thee, and as my farthest band 

Shall pass on thy approof. — Most noble Antony, 

Let not the piece of virtue, which is set 

Betwixt us as the cement of our love, 

To keep it builded, be the ram to batter 3 o 

The fortress of it; for better might we 

Have lov'd without this mean, if on both parts 

This be not cherish'd. 

Antony. Make me not offended 

In your distrust. 

Ccesar. I have said. 

Antony. You shall not find, 

Though you be therein curious, the least cause 
For what you seem to fear. So, the gods keep you,- 
And make the hearts of Romans serve your ends ! 
We will here part. 

Ccesar. Farewell, my dearest sister, fare thee well ; 
The elements be kind to thee, and make 40 

Thy spirits all of comfort ! fare thee well. 

Odavia. My noble brother! 

Antony. The April 's in her eyes ; it is love's spring, 
And these the showers to bring it on. — Be cheerful. 

Octavia. Sir, look well to my husband's house, and — 

Ccesar. What, 

Octavia ? 

Octavia. I '11 tell you in your ear. 

Antony. Her tongue will not obey her heart, nor can 
Her heart inform her tongue, — the swan's down-feather, 
That stands upon the swell at full of tide, 
And neither way inclines. 

Enobarbns. [Aside to Agrippa] Will Csesar weep ? 50 

Agrippa. [Aside to Enobarbus] He has a cloud in 's face. 

Enobarbus. [Aside to Agrippa] He were the worse for that, 
were he a horse ; 
So is he, being a man. 



80 ANTONY AND CLEOPA TRA. 

Agrippa. [Aside to Enobarbus] Why, Enobarbus, 
When Antony found Julius Caesar dead, 
He cried almost to roaring ; and he wept 
When at Philippi he found Brutus slain. 

Enobarbus. [Aside to Agrippa\ That year, indeed, he was 
troubled with a rheum • 
What willingly he did confound he wail'd, 
Believe 't, till I wept too. 

Ccesar. No, sweet Octavia, 

You shall hear from me still; the time shall not 60 

Out-go my thinking on you. 

A?ito7iy. Come, sir, come; 

I '11 wrestle with you in my strength of love. 
Look, here I have you ; thus I let you go, 
And give you to the gods. 

Ccesar. Adieu ; be happy ! 

Lepidas. Let all the number of the stars give light 
To thy fair way ! 

Ccesar. Farewell, farewell ! [Kisses Octavia. 

Antony. Farewell ! 

[Trumpets sound. Exeunt. 

Scene III. Alexandria. Cleopatra's Palace. 

Enter Cleopatra, Charmian, Iras, and Alexas. 

Cleopatra. Where is the fellow? 

Mlexas. Half afeard to come. 

Cleopatra. Go to, go to. — 

Enter the Messenger as before. 

Come hither, sir. 

Alexas. Good majesty, 

Herod of Jewry dare not look upon you 
But when you are well pleas'd. 

Cleopatra. That Herod's head 



ACT III. SCENE III. 8 1 

I '11 have ; but how, when Antony is gone 

Through whom I might command it ? — Come thou near. 

Messenger. Most gracious majesty, — 

Cleopatra. Didst thou behold Octavia ? 

Messenger. Ay, dread queen. 

Cleopatra. Where? 10 

Messenger. Madam, in Rome 
I look'd her in the face, and saw her led 
Between her brother- and Mark Antony. 

Cleopatra. Is she as tall as me ? 

Messenger. She is not, madam. 

Cleopatra. Didst hear her speak? is she shrill-tongued or 
low? 

Messenger. Madam, I heard her speak ; she is low-voic'd. 

Cleopatra. That 's not so good ; he cannot like her long. 

Charmian. Like her! O Isis! 't is impossible. 

Cleopatra. I think so, Charmian ; dull of tongue, and dwarf- 
ish !— 
What majesty is in her gait? Remember, 20 

If e'er thou look'dst on majesty. 

Messenger. She creeps; 

Her motion and her station are as one : 
She shows a body rather than a life, 
A statue than a breather. 

Cleopatra. Is this certain ? 

Messenger. Or I have no observance. 

Charmian. Three in Egypt 

Cannot make better note. 

Cleopatra. He 's very knowing, 

I do perceive 't. There 's nothing in her yet. — 
The fellow has good judgment. 

Charmian. Excellent. 

Cleopatra. Guess at her years, I prithee. 

Messenger. Madam, 

She was a widow, — 

F 



82 ANTONY AND CLEOPA TRA. 

Cleopatra. Widow! — Charm ian, hark. 30 

Messenger. And I do think she 's thirty. 

Cleopatra. Bear'st thou her face in mind ? is -t long or 
round ? 

Messenger. Round even to faultiness. 

Cleopatra. For the most part, too, they are foolish that are 
so. — 
Her hair, what colour? 

Messenger. Brown, madam ■ and her forehead 
As low as she would wish it. 

Cleopatra. There 's gold for thee. 

Thou must not take my former sharpness ill. 
I will employ thee back again ; I find thee 
Most fit for business. Go make thee ready; 40 

Our letters are prepar'd. [Exit Messenger. 

Charmian. A proper man. 

Cleopatra. Indeed, he is so ; I repent "me much 
That I so harried him. Why, methinks, by him, 
This creature 's no such thing. 

Charmian. Nothing, madam. 

Cleopatra. The man hath seen some majesty, and should 
know. 

Charmian. Hath he seen majesty? Isis else defend, 
And serving you so long ! 

Cleopatra. I have one thing more to ask him yet, good 
Charmian : 
But 't is no matter; thou shalt bring him to me 
Where I will write. All may be well enough. so 

Charmian. I warrant you, madam. [Exeunt.. 

Scene IV. Athe?is. A Room in Antony's House, 

Enter Antony and Octavia. 

Antony. Nay, nay, Octavia, not only that, — 
That were excusable, that, and thousands more 



ACT III. SCENE IV. S3 

Of semblable import, — but he hath wag'd 

New wars 'gainst Pompey, made his will and read it 

To public ear, 

Spoke scantly of me. When perforce he could not 

But pay me terms of honour, cold and sickly 

He vented them, most narrow measure lent me. 

When the best hint was given him, he not took 't, 

Or did it from his teeth. 

Octavia. O my good lord, 10 

Believe not all ; or, if you must believe, 
Stomach not all. A more unhappy lady, 
If this division chance, ne'er stood between, 
Praying for both parts. 
The good gods will mock me presently, 
When I shall pray, ' O, bless my lord and husband!' 
Undo that prayer, by crying out as loud, 
' O, bless my brother !' Husband win, win brother, 
Prays, and destroys the prayer; no midway 
; Twixt these extremes at all. 

Antony. Gentle Octavia, 20 

Let your best love draw to that point which seeks 
Best to preserve it. If I lose mine honour, 
■I lose myself; better I were not yours 
Than yours so branchless. But as you requested, 
Yourself shall go between 's; the meantime, lady, 
I '11 raise the preparation of a war 
Shall stain your brother. Make your soonest haste ; 
So your desires are yours. 

Octavia. Thanks to my lord. 

The Jove of power make me — most weak, most weak — 
Your reconciler! Wars 'twixt you twain would be 30 

As if the world would cleave, and that slain men 
Should solder up the rift.) 

Antony. When it appears to you where this begins, 
Turn your displeasure that way ; for our faults 



84 ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 

Can never be so equal, that your love 

Can equally move with them. Provide your going ; 

Choose your own company, and command what cost 

Your heart has mind to. [Exeunt. 



Scene V. The Same. Another Room. 
Enter Enobarbus and Eros, meeting. 

Enobarbus. How now, friend Eros ! 

Eros. There 's strange news come, sir. 

Enobarbus. What, man? 

Eros. Caesar and Lepidus have made wars upon Pompey. 

Enobarbus. This is old ; what is the success ? 

Eros. Caesar, having made use of him in the wars 'gainst 
Pompey, presently denied him rivality, would not let him 
partake in the glory of the action; and not resting here, 
accuses him of letters he had formerly wrote to Pompey; 
upon his own appeal, seizes him : so the poor third is up, till 
death enlarge his confine. n 

E?iobarbus. Then, world, thou hast a pair of chaps, no more ; 
And throw between them all the food thou hast, 
They '11 grind the one the other. Where 's Antony? 

Eros. He 's walking in the garden — thus; and spurns 
The rush that lies before him; cries 'Fool Lepidus!' 
And threats the throat of that his officer 
That murther'd Pompey. 

Enobarbus. Our great navy 's rigg'd. 

Eros. For Italy and Caesar. More, Domitius; 
My lord desires you presently ; my news 20 

I might have told hereafter. 

Enobarbus. 'T will be nought; 

But let it be. — Bring me to Antony. 

Eros. Come, sir. [Exeunt. 



ACT III. SCENE VI 85 



Scene VI. Rome. Ccesar 1 s House. 
Enter Caesar, Agrippa, and Maecenas. 

CcBsar. Contemning Rome, he has done all this, and more, 
In Alexandria. Here 's the manner oft : 
V the market-place, on a tribunal silver'd, 
Cleopatra and himself in chairs of gold 
Were publicly enthron'd ; at the feet sat 
Caesarion, whom they call my father's son, 
And all the unlawful issue that their lust 
Since then hath made between them. Unto her 
He gave the stablishment of Egypt; made her 
Of lower Syria, Cypress, Lydia, 10 

Absolute queen. 

Mcecenas. This in the public eye ? 

Ccesar. V the common show-place, where they exercise. 
His sons he there proclaim'd the kings of kings: 
Great Media, Parthia, and Armenia, 
He gave to Alexander ■ to Ptolemy he assign'd 
Syria, Cilicia, and Phoenicia. She 
In the habiliments of the goddess Isis 
That day appear'd, and oft before gave audience, 
As 't is reported, so. 

Mcecenas. Let Rome be thus 

Inform'd. 

Agrippa. Who, queasy with his insolence 2c 

Already, will their good thoughts call from him. 

Ccesar. The people know it, and have now receiv'd 
His accusations. 

Agrippa. Who does he accuse ? 

Ccesar. Caesar; and that, having in Sicily 
Sextus Pompeius spoil'd, we had not rated him 
His part o' the isle ; then does he say, he lent me 
Some shipping unrestor'd ; lastly, he frets 



86 ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 

That Lepidus of the triumvirate 

Should be depos'd; and, being, that we detain 

All his revenue. 

Agrippa. Sir, this should be answer'd. 30 

Ccesar. } T is done already, and the messenger gone. 
I have told him, Lepidus was grown too cruel ; 
That he his high authority abus'd, 

And did deserve his change : for what I have conquer'd, 
I grant him part; but then, in his Armenia 
And other of his conquer'd kingdoms, I 
Demand the like. 

Mcecenas. He '11 never yield to that. 

Ccesar. Nor must not then be yielded to in this. 

Enter Octavia with her train. 

Octavia. Hail, Caesar, and my lord ! hail, most dear Caesar ! 

Ccesar. That ever I should call thee castaway ! 40 

Octavia. You have not call'd me so, nor have you cause. 

Cczsar. Why have you stol'n upon us thus? You come not 
Like Caesar's sister : the wife of Antony 
Should have an army for an usher, and 
The neighs of horse to tell of her approach 
Long ere she did appear ; the trees by the way 
Should have borne men, and expectation fainted, 
Longing for what it had not; nay, the dust 
Should have ascended to the roof of heaven, 
Rais'd by your populous troops : but you are come 50 

A market-maid to Rome, and have prevented 
rhe ostentation of our love, which, left unshown, 
Is often left unlov'd : we should have met you 
By sea and land, supplying every stage 
With an augmented greeting. 

Octavia. Good my lord,, 

To come thus was I not constrain'd, but did 
On my free will. My lord, Mark Antony, 



ACT III. SCENE VI. 



87 



Hearing that you prepar'd for war, acquainted 
My grieved ear withal; whereon, I begg'd 
His pardon for return. 

Ccesar. Which soon he granted, 60 

Being an obstruct 'tween his lust and him. 

Octavia. Do not say so, my lord. 

Ccesar. I have eyes upon him, 

And his affairs come to me on the wind. 
Where is he now ? 

Octavia. My lord, in Athens. 

Ccesar. No, my most wronged sister ; Cleopatra 
Hath nodded him to her. He hath given his empire 
Up to a whore ; who now are levying 
The kings o' the earth for war. He hath assembled 
Bocchus, the king of Libya ; Archelaus 
Of Cappadocia; Philadelphos, king 70 

Of Paphlagonia; the Thracian king, Adallas; 
King Malchus of Arabia; King of Pont; 
Herod of Jewry ; Mithridates, king 
Of Cpmagene ; Polemon and Amyntas, 
The kings of Mede and Lycaonia, 
With a more larger list of sceptres. 

Octavia. Ay me, most wretched, 

That have my heart parted betwixt two friends 
That do afflict each other! 

Ccesar. Welcome hither: 

Your letters did withhold our breaking forth, 
Till we perceiv'd both how you were wrong led 80 

And we in negligent danger. Cheer your heart; 
Be you not troubled with the time, which drives 
O'er your content these strong necessities, 
But let determin'd things to destiny 
Hold unbewail'd their way. Welcome to Rome; 
Nothing more dear to me. You are abus'd 
Beyond the mark of thought ; and the high gods, 



88 ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 

To do you justice, make them ministers 

Of us and those that love you. Best of comfort, 

And ever welcome to us. 

Agrippa. Welcome, lady. 90 

Mcecenas. Welcome, dear madam. 
Each heart in Rome does love and pity you ; 
Only the adulterous Antony, most large 
In his abominations, turns you off, 
And gives his potent regiment to a trull, 
That noises it against us. 

Octavia. Is it so, sir? 

Ccesar. Most certain. Sister, welcome ; pray you, 
Be ever known to patience. My dear'st sister ! [Exeunt. 

Scene VII. Near Actium. Antony's Ca?np. 
Enter Cleopatra and Enobarbus. 

Cleopatra. I will be even with thee, doubt it not. 

Eiiobarbus. But why, why, why ? 

Cleopatra. Thou hast forspoke my being in these wars, 
And say'st it is not fit. 

Enobarbus. Well, is it, is it ? 

• Cleopatra. Is 't not denounc'd against us? why should not we 
Be there in person ? 

Enobarbus. Your presence needs must puzzle Antony; 
Take from his heart, take from his brain, from 's time, 
What should not then be spar'd. He is already 
Traduc'd for levity, and 't is said in Rome 10 

That Photinus, an eunuch, and your maids 
Manage this war. 

Cleopatra. Sink Rome, and their tongues rot 

That speak against us ! A charge we bear i' the war, 
And, as the president of my kingdom, will 
Appear there for a man. Speak not against it; 
I will not stay behind. 



ACT III. SCENE VII 89 

Eiiobarbus. Nay, I have done. 

Here comes the emperor. 

Enter Antony and Canidius. 

Anto?iy. Is it not strange, Canidius, 

That from Tarentum and Brundusium 
He could so quickly cut the Ionian sea, 
And take in Toryne? — You have heard on 't, sweet? 20 

Cleopatra. Celerity is never more admir'd 
Than by the negligent.; 

Antony. A good rebuke, 

Which might have well becom'd the best of men, 
To taunt at slackness. — Canidius, we 
Will fight with him by sea. 

Cleopatra. By sea! what else? 

Canidius. Why will my lord do so ? 

Antony. For that he dares us to 't. 

Enobarbus. So hath my lord dar'd him to single fight. 

Canidius. Ay, and to wage this battle at Pharsalia, 
Where Csesar fought with Pompey; but these offers, 
Which serve not for his vantage, he shakes off, 30 

And so should you. 

Enobarbus. Your ships are not well mann'd \ 

Your mariners are muleters, reapers, people 
Ingross'd by swift impress ; in Caesar's fleet 
Are those that often have 'gainst Pompey fought. 
Their ships are yare, yours heavy; no disgrace 
Shall fall you for refusing him at sea, 
Being prepar'd for land. 

Antony. By sea, by sea. 

Enobarbus. Most worthy sir, you therein throw away 
The absolute soldiership you have by land ; 
Distract your army, which doth most consist 40 

Of war-mark'd footmen, leave unexecuted 
Your own renowned knowledge, quite forego 



9° 



ANTONY AND CLEOPA TRA. 



The way which promises assurance, and 
iGive up yourself merely to chance and hazard 
From firm security.] 

Antony. I '11 fight at sea. 

Cleopatra. I have sixty sails, Caesar none better. 

Antony. Our overplus of shipping will we burn ; 
And, with the rest full-mann'd, from the head of Actium 
Beat the approaching Caesar. But if we fail, 
We then can do 't at land. — 

Enter a Messenger. 

Thy business ? 50 

Messenger. The news is true, my lord ; he is descried ; 
Caesar has taken Toryne. 

Anto?iy. Can he be there in person? 't is impossible; 
Strange that his power should be. — Canidius, 
Our nineteen legions thou shalt hold by land, 
And our twelve thousand horse. We '11 to our ship ; 
Away, my Thetis ! — 

Enter a Soldier. 

How, now, worthy soldier? 

Soldier. O noble emperor, do not fight by sea; 
Trust not to rotten planks. Do you misdoubt 
This sword and these my wounds? Let the Egyptians 60 
And the Phoenicians go a-ducking; we 
Have us'd to conquer, standing on the earth 
And fighting foot to foot. 

Antony. Well, well. — Away! 

\Exeunt Antony, Cleopatra, and Enobarbus. 

Soldier. By Hercules, I think I am i' the right. 

Canidius. Soldier, thou art; but his whole action grows 
Not in the power on J t : so our leader 's led, 
And we are women's men. 

Soldier. You keep by land 

The legions and the horse whole, do you not ? 



ACT III SCENES VIII AND IX. 91 

Canidius. Marcus Octavius, Marcus Justeius, 
Publicola, and Cselius, are for sea, 70 

But we keep whole by land. This speed of Caesar's 
Carries beyond belief. 

Soldier. While he was yet in Rome, 

His power went out in such distractions as 
Beguil'd all spies. 

Canidius. Who 's his lieutenant, hear you ? 

Soldier. They say, one Taurus. 

Canidius. Well I know the man. 

Enter a Messenger. 

Messenger. The emperor calls Canidius. 
Canidius. With news the time 's with labour, and throes 
forth 
Each minute some. [Exeunt. 

Scene VIII. A Plain near Actium. 
Enter Cesar, and Taurus, with his army, marching. 

Ccesar. Taurus! 

Taurus. My lord ! 

Ccesar. Strike not by land; keep whole: provoke not bat- 
tle, 
Till we have done at sea. Do not exceed 
The prescript of this scroll ; our fortune lies 
Upon this jump. {Exeunt. 

Scene IX. Another Part of the Plain. 
Enter Antony and Enobarbus. 
Antony. Set we our squadrons on yond side o' the hill, 
In eye of Caesar's battle ; from which place 
We may the number of the ships behold, 
And so proceed accordingly. [Exeunt. 



92 



ANTONY AND CLEOPA TEA. 



Scene X. Another Part of the Plain. 

Canidius marcheth with his land army one way over the stage ; 
and Taurus, the lieutenant of Caesar, the other way. After 
their going i?i, is heard the noise of a sea-fight. 

Alaru?n. E?tter Enobarbus. . 
Enobarbus. Naught, naught, all naught! I can behold no 
longer : 
The Antoniad, the Egyptian admiral, 
With all their sixty, fly and turn the rudder; 
To see 't mine eyes are blasted. 

Enter Scarus. 

Scarus. Gods and goddesses, 

AH the whole synod of them ! 
• Efiobarbus. What 's thy passion? 

Scarus. The greater cantle of the world is lost 
With very ignorance ; we have kiss'd away 
Kingdoms and provinces. 

Enobarbus. How appears the fight? 

Scarus. On our side like the token'd pestilence, 
Where death is sure. Yon ribaudred nag of Egypt, — 10 
Whom leprosy o'ertake ! — i' the midst o' the fight, 
When vantage like a pair of twins appear'd, 
Both as the same, or rather ours the elder, 
The brize upon her, like a cow in June, 
Hoists sails and flies. 

Enobarbus. That I beheld; 

Mine eyes did sicken at the sight, and could not 
Endure a further view. 

Scarus. She once being loofd, 

The noble ruin of her magic, Antony, 
Claps on his sea-wing, and, like a doting mallard, 
Leaving the fight in height, flies after her. 20 



ACT III. SCENE XI. 93 



I never saw an action of such shame ; 
Experience, manhood, honour, ne'er before 
Did violate so itself. 

Enobarbus. Alack, alack ! 



k 3 



Enter Canidius. 

Canidins. Our fortune on the sea is out of breath, 
And sinks most lamentably. Had our general 
Been what he knew himself, it had gone well. 
O, he has given example for our flight 
Most grossly by his own ! 

Enobarbus. Ay, are you thereabouts ? 

Why, then, good night indeed. 

Canidius. Toward Peloponnesus are they fled. 30 

Scarus. 'T is easy to 't ; and there I will attend 
What further comes. 

Canidius. To Caesar will I render 

My legions and my horse ; six kings already 
Show me the way of yielding. 

Enobarbus. I '11 yet follow 

The wounded chance of Antony, though my reason 
Sits in the wind against me. [Exeunt. 

Scene XI. Alexandria. Cleopatra's Palace. 
Enter Antony with Attendants. 

Antony. Hark ! the land bids me tread no more upon 't; 
It is asham'd to bear me! — Friends, come hither; 
I am so lated in the world, that I 
Have lost my way for ever. — I have a ship 
Laden with gold ; take that, divide it ; fly, 
And make your peace with Caesar. 

All. Fly ! not we. 

Antony. I have fled myself, and have instructed cowards 
To run and show their shoulders. — Friends, be gone ; 



94 ANTONY AND CLEOPA TRA. 

I have myself resolv'd upon a course 

Which has no need of you; be gone. 10 

My treasure 's in the harbour, take it. — O, 

I follow'd that I blush to look upon ; 

My very hairs do mutiny, for the white 

Reprove the brown for rashness, and they them 

For fear and doting. — Friends, be gone; you shall 

Have letters from me to some friends that will 

Sweep your way for you. Pray you, look not sad, 

Nor make replies of loathness : take the hint 

Which my despair proclaims; let that be left {/ 

Which leaves itself: to the sea-side straightway. 20 

I will possess you of that ship and treasure. 

Leave me, I pray, a little ; pray you now. — 

Nay, do so; for indeed I have lost command, 

Therefore I pray you. I '11 see you by and by. [Sits down. 

Enter Cleopatra led by C harm i an and Iras ; Eros follow- 
ing. 

Eros. Nay, gentle madam, to him, comfort him. 

Iras. Do, most dear queen. 

Chdrmian. Do! why, what else? 

Cleopatra. Let me sit down. O Juno! 

Antony. No, no, no, no^J Kl^ 

Eros. See you here, sir ? 30 

Antony. O fie, fie, fie ! 

Charmian. M ad am ! 

Iras. Madam, O good empress! 

Eros. Sir, sir, — 

Antony. Yes, my lord, yes; he at Philippi kept 
His sword e'en like a dancer, while I struck 
The lean and wrinkled Cassius; and 't was I 
That the mad Brutus ended: he alone 
Dealt on lieutenantry, and no practice had 
In the brave squares of war; yet now — No matter. 40 



ACT III. SCENE XI. 



95 



Cleopatra. Ah, stand by ! 

Eros. The queen, my lord, the queen. 

Iras. Go to him, madam, speak to him ; 
He is unqualified with very shame. 

Cleopatra. Well then, sustain me ; — O ! 

Eros. Most noble sir, arise; the queen approaches. 
Her head 's declin'd, and death will seize her, but 
Your comfort makes the rescue. 

Antony. I have offended reputation, 
A most unnoble swerving. 

Eros. Sir, the queen. 5° 

Antony. O, whither hast thou led me, Egypt? / See, 
How I convey my shame out of thine eyes 
By looking back what I have left behind 
Stroy'd in dishonour.) 1 

Cleopatra. O my lord, my lord, 

Forgive my fearful sails ! I little thought 
You would have follow'd. 

Antony. Egypt, thou knew'st too well 

My heart was to thy rudder tied by the strings, 
And thou shouldst tow me after ; o'er my spirit 
Thy full supremacy thou knew'st, and that 
Thy beck might from the bidding of the gods 60 

Command me. 

Cleopatra. O, my pardon ! 

Anto?iy. Now I must 

To the young man send humble treaties, dodge 
And palter in the shifts of lowness, who 
With half the bulk o' the world play'd as I pleas'd. 
Making and marring fortunes. You did know 
How much you were my conqueror, and that 
My sword, made weak by my affection, would 
Obey it on all cause. 

Cleopatra. Pardon, pardon! 

Antony. Fall not a tear, I say; one of them rates 



9 6 ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 

.All that is won and lost. Give me a kiss; 7 o 

Even this repays me. — We sent our schoolmaster; 

Is he come back ? — Love, I am full of lead. — 

Some wine, within there, and our viands ! — Fortune knows 

We scorn her most when most she offers blows. [Exeunt 

Scene XII. Egypt. Ccesar's Camp. 
Enter Cesar, Dolabella, Thyreus, with others. 

Ccesar. Let him appear that 's come from Antony. — 
Know you him? 

Dolabella. Caesar, 't is his schoolmaster; 

An argument that he is pluck'd, when hither 
He sends so poor a pinion of his wing, 
Which had superfluous kings for messengers 
Not many moons gone by. 

Enter Euphronius, Ambassador from Antony. 

Ceesar. Approach, and speak. 

Euphronius. Such as I am, I come from Antony; 
I was of late as petty to his ends 
As is the morn-dew on the myrtle-leaf 
To his grand sea. 

Ccesar. Be 't so; declare thine office. 10 

Euphronius. Lord of his fortunes he salutes thee, and 
Requires to live in Egypt; which not granted, 
He lessens his requests, and to thee sues 
To let him breathe between the heavens and earth, 
A private man in Athens : this for him. 
Next, Cleopatra does confess thy greatness, 
Submits her to thy might, and of thee craves 
The circle of the Ptolemies for her heirs, 
Now hazarded to thy grace. 

Ccesar. For Antony, 

I have no ears to his request. The queen z> 



ACT III. SCENE XIII, 97 

Of audience nor desire shall fail, so she 
From Egypt drive her all-disgraced friend, 
Or take his life there; this if she perform, 
She shall not sue unheard. So to them both. 

Euphronius. Fortune pursue thee ! 

Ccesar. Bring him through the bands. — 

\Exit Euphronius. 
[To Thyreus] To try thy eloquence, now 't is time; dispatch. 
From Antony win Cleopatra : promise, 
And in our name, what she requires; add more, 
From thine invention, offers. Women are not 
In their best fortunes strong; but want will perjure 3 o 

The ne'er-touch'd vestal. Try thy cunning, Thyreus; 
Make thine own edict for thy pains, which we 
Will answer as a law. 

Thyreus. Caesar, I go. 

Ccesar. Observe how Antony becomes his flaw, 
And what thou think'st his very action speaks 
In every power that moves. 

Thyreus. Caesar, I shall. [Exeunt. 

Scene XIII. Alexandria. Cleopatra's Palace. 
Enter Cleopatra, Enobarbus, Charmian, and Iras. 

Cleopatra. What shall we do, Enobarbus ? 

Enobarbus. Think, and die. 

Cleopatra. Is Antony or we in fault for this ? 

Enobarbus. Antony only, that would make his will 
Lord of his reason. What though you fled 
From that great face of war, whose several ranges 
Frighted each other ? why should he follow ? 
The itch of his affection should not then 
Have nick'd his captainship; at such a point, 
When half to half the world oppos'd, he being 
The mered question. 'T was a shame no less 10 

G 



9 8 



ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 



Than was his loss, to course your flying flags, 
And leave his navy gazing. 

Cleopatra. Prithee, peace. 

Enter Antony with Euphronius, the Ambassador. 

Antony. Is that his answer? 
Euphronius. Ay, my lord. 

Antony. The queen shall then have courtesy, so she 
Will yield us up. 
Euphronius. He says so. 
Antony. Let her know 't. 

To the boy Caesar send this grizzled head, 
And he will fill thy wishes to the brim 
With principalities. 

Cleopatra. That head, my lord ? 

Antony. To him again. Tell him he wears the rose 20 
Of youth upon him, from which the world should note 
Something particular : his coin, ships, legions, 
May be a coward's,! whose ministers would prevail 
Under the service of a child as soon 
As i' the command of Caesar./ I dare him therefore 
To lay his gay comparisons apart, 
And answer me declin'd, sword against sword, 
Ourselves alone. I '11 write it; follow me. 

[Exeunt Antony and Euphronius. 
Enobarbus. [Aside] Yes, like enough, high-battled Caesar 
will 
Unstate his happiness, and be stag'd to the show, 30 

Against a sworder ! I see men's judgments are 
A parcel of their fortunes, and things outward 
Do draw the inward quality after them, 
To suffer all alike. That he should dream, 
Knowing all measures, the full Caesar will 
Answer his emptiness ! — Caesar, thou hast subdued 
His judgment too. 



ACT III. SCENE XIII. 99 

Enter an Attendant. 

Attendant. A messenger from Caesar. 

Cleopatra. What, no more ceremony ? — See, my women ! — 
Against the blown rose may they stop their nose 
That kneel'd unto the buds.:— Admit him, sir. 4 o 

[Exit Attendant. 

Enobarbus. [Aside] Mine honesty and I begin to square. 
The loyalty well held to fools does make 
Our faith mere folly; yet he that can endure 
To follow with allegiance a fall'n lord 
Does conquer him that did his master conquer, 
And earns a place i' the story. 

Enter Thyreus. 

Cleopatra. Caesar's will ? 

Thyreus. Hear it apart. 

Cleopatra. None but friends; say boldly. 

Thyreus. So, haply, are they friends to Antony. 

Enobarbus. He needs as many, sir, as Caesar has, 
Or needs not us. If Caesar please, our master 50 

Will leap to be his friend ; for us, you know 
Whose he is we are, and that is Caesar's. 

Thyreus. So. — 

Thus then, thou most renown'd : Caesar entreats, 
Not to consider in what case thou stand'st, 
Further than he is Caesar. ■ 

Cleopatra. Go on ; right royal. 

Thyreus. He knows that you embrace not Antony 
As you did love, but as you fear'd him. 

Cleopatra. O ! 

Thyreus. The scars upon your honour, therefore, he 
Does pity, as constrained blemishes, 
Not as deserv'd. 

Cleopatra. He is a god^ and knows 60 



ioo ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 

What is most right; mine honour was not yielded, 
But conquer'd merely. 

Enobarbus. [Aside] To be sure of that, 
I will ask Antony. — Sir, sir, thou art so leaky, 
That we must leave thee to thy sinking, for 
Thy dearest quit thee. [Exit. 

Thyreus. Shall I say to Caesar 

What you require of him ? for he partly begs 
To be desir'd to give. It much would please him, 
That of his fortunes you should make a staff 
To lean upon; but it would warm his spirits, 
To hear from me you had left Antony, 7 o 

And put yourself under his shroud, 
The universal landlord. 

Cleopatra. What 's your name ? 

Thyreus. My name is Thyreus. 

Cleopatra. Most kind messenger, 

Say to great Caesar this : in deputation 
I kiss his conquering hand; tell him, I am prompt 
To lay my crown at 's feet, and there to kneel; 
Tell him, from his all-obeying breath I hear 
The doom of Egypt. 

Thyreus. 'T is your noblest course. 

Wisdom and fortune combating together, 
If that the former dare but what it can, So 

No chance may shake it. Give me grace to lay 
My duty on your hand. 

Cleopatra. Your Caesar's father oft, 

When he hath mus'd of taking kingdoms in, 
Bestow'd his lips on that unworthy place, 
As it rain'd kisses. 

Re-enter Antony and Enobarbus. 

Antony. Favours, by Jove that thunders !— 

What art thou, fellow ? 



ACT III. SCENE XIII. ioi 

Thyrens. One that but performs 

The bidding of the fullest man, and worthiest 
To have command obey'd. 

Enobarbus. [Aside] You will be whipp'd. 

Antony. Approach, there ! — Ah, you kite ! — Now, gods and 
devils ! 
Authority melts from me ; of late, when I cried ' Ho !' 90 

Like boys unto a muss, kings would start forth, 
And cry 'Your will ?' Have you no ears ? I am 

Antony yet. 

Enter Attendants. 

Take hence this Jack, and whip him. 

Enobarbus. {Aside] 'T is better playing with a lion's whelp 
Than with an old one dying. 

Ajitony. Moon and stars ! 

Whip him. — Were 't twenty of the greatest tributaries 
That do acknowledge Cassar, should I find them 
So saucy with the hand of she here, — what 's her name, 
Since she was Cleopatra ? — Whip him, fellows, 
Till, like a boy, you see him cringe his face, 100 

And whine aloud for mercy. Take him hence. 

Thyrens. Mark Antony ! 

Antony. Tug him away; being whipp'd, 

Bring him again : the Jack of Caesar's shall 
Bear us an errand to him. — 

\Exeunt Attenda?tts with Thyrens. 
You were half blasted ere I knew you ; ha ! 
Have I my pillow left unpress'd in Rome, 
Forborne the getting of a lawful race, 
And by a gem of women, to be abus'd 
By one that looks on feeders ? 

Cleopatra. Good my lord, — 

Antony. You have been a boggier ever; no 

But when we in our viciousness grow hard — 
O misery on 't ! — the wise gods seel our eyes, 



IQ 2 ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 

In our own filth drop our clear judgments ; make us 
Adore our errors, laugh at 's while we strut 
To our confusion. 

Cleopatra. O, is 't come to this ? 

Antony. I found you as a morsel cold upon 
Dead Caesar's trencher; nay, you were a fragment 
Of Cneius Pompey's ; besides what hotter hours, 
Unregister'd in vulgar fame, you have 

Luxuriously pick'd out : for, I am sure, 120 

Though you can guess what temperance should be, 
You know not what it is. 

Cleopatra. Wherefore is this ? 

Antony. To let a fellow that will take rewards 
And say ' God quit you !' be familiar with 
My playfellow, your hand, this kingly seal 
And plighter of high hearts ! — O, that I were 
Upon the hill of Basan, to outroar 
The horned herd ! for I have savage cause; 
And to proclaim it civilly, were like 

A halter'd neck which does the hangman thank 130 

For being yare about him. — • 

Re-enter Attendants with Thyreus. 

Is he whipp'd ? 

1 Attendant. Soundly, my lord. 

Antony. Cried he ? and begg'd a' pardon ? 

1 Attendant. He did ask favour. 

Antony. If that thy father live, let him repent 
Thou wast not made his daughter; and be thou sorry 
To follow Caesar in his triumph, since 
Thou hast been whipp'd for following him : henceforth 
The white hand of a lady fever thee, 
Shake thou to look on 't. — Get thee back to Cassar, 
Tell him thy entertainment : look, thou say up 

He makes me angry with him ; for he seems 



ACT III. SCENE XIII. 103 

Proud and disdainful, harping on what I am, 

Not what he knew I was. He makes me angry; 

And at this time most easy 't i& to do 't, 

When my good stars that were my former guides 

Have empty left their orbs, and shot their fires 

Into the abysm of hell. If he mislike 

My speech and what is done, tell him he has 

Hipparchus, my enfranchis'd bondman, whom 

He may at pleasure whip, or hang, or torture, 150 

As he shall like, to quit me. Urge it thou; 

Hence with thy stripes, begone ! [Exit Thy re us. 

Cleopatra. Have you done yet ? 

Antony. Alack, our terrene moon 

Is now eclips'd ; and it portends alone 
The fall of Antony ! 

Cleopatra. I must stay his time. 

Anto7iy. To flatter Caesar, would you mingle eyes 
With one that ties his points ? 

Cleopatra. Not know me yet ? 

Antony. Cold-hearted toward me ? 

Cleopatra. Ah, dear, if I be so, 

From my cold heart let heaven engender hail, 
And poison it in the source, and. the first stone 160 

Drop in my neck ; as it determines, so 
Dissolve my life ! The next Caesarion smite ! 
Till by degrees the memory of my womb, 
Together with my brave Egyptians all, 
By the discandying of this pelleted storm, 
Lie graveless, till the flies and gnats of Nile 
Have buried them for prey ! 

Antony. I am satisfied. 

Caesar sits down in Alexandria, where 
I will oppose his fate. Our force by land 
Hath nobly held; our sever'd navy too 170 

Have knit again, and fleet, threatening most sea-like. 



io4 



ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 



Where hast thou been, my heart ? — Dost thou hear, lady ? 
If from the field I shall return once more 
To kiss these lips, I will appear in blood ; 
I and my sword will earn our chronicle : 
There 's hope in 't yet. 

Cleopatra. That 's my brave lord ! 

Antony. I will be treble-sinew'd, hearted, breath'd, 
And fight maliciously: for when mine hours 
Were nice and lucky, men did ransom lives iSo 

Of me for jests; but now I '11 set my teeth, 
And send to darkness all that stop me. — Come, 
Let 's have one other gaudy night. — Call to me 
All my sad captains ; fill our bowls once more ; 
Let 's mock the midnight bell. 

Cleopatra. It is my birthday: 

I had thought to have held it poor; but, since my lord 
Is Antony again, I will be Cleopatra. 

Antony. We will yet do well. 

Cleopatra. Call all his noble captains to my lord. 

Antony. Do so, we '11 speak to them ; and to-night I '11 
force 190 

The wine peep through their scars. — Come on, my queen; 
There 's sap in 't yet. The next time I do fight 
I '11 make death love me, for I will contend 
Even with his pestilent scythe. [Exeunt all but Enobarbus. 

Enobarbus. Now he '11 outstare the lightning. VTo be furi- 
ous 
Is to be frighted out of fear, and in that mood 
The dove will peck the estridge ;\and I see still, 
A diminution in our captain's brain 
Restores his heart;/ when valour preys on reason, 
It eats the sword it' fights with. I will seek 200 

Some way to leave him. [Exit. 




RUINS OF AN ANCIENT EGYPTIAN PALACE. 



ACT IV. 

Scene I. Before Alexandria. Ccesar's Camp. 

Enter Cesar, Agrippa, and Maecenas, with his Army; 

Caesar reading a letter. 

CcEsar. He calls me boy, and chides as he had power 
To beat me out of Egypt; my messenger 
He hath whipp'd with rods, dares me to personal combat, 
Caesar to Antony. Let the old ruffian know 
I have many other ways to die, meantime 
Laugh at his challenge. 

Mcecenas. Caesar must think, 

When one so great begins to rage, he 's hunted 
Even to falling.] Give him no breath, but now 
Make boot of his distraction ;|jpever anger 
Made good guard for itself! 



106 ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 

CcBsar. Let our best heads 10 

Know that to-morrow the last of many battles 
We mean to fight. Within our files there are, 
Of those that serv'd Mark Antony but late, 
Enough to fetch him in. See it done: 
And feast the army; we have store to do 't, 
And they have earn'd the waste. Poor Antony! [Exeunt. 

Scene II. Alexandria. Cleopatra's Palace. 

Enter Antony, Cleopatra, Enobarbus, Charmian, Iras, 
Alexas, with others. 

Antony. He will not fight with me, Domitius. 

Enobarbus. No. 

Antoiiy. Why should he not? 

Enobarbus. He thinks, being twenty times of better fortune, 
He is twenty men to one. 

Antony. To-morrow, soldier, 

By sea and land I '11 fight; or I will live, 
Or bathe my dying honour in the blood 
Shall make it live again. Woo't thou fight well? 

Enobarbus. I '11 strike, and cry 'Take all.' 

Antony. Well said; come on. — 

Call forth my household servants; let 's to-night 
Be bounteous at our meal. — 

Enter three or four Servitors. 

Give me thy hand, IO 

Thou hast been rightly honest ; — so hast thou ; — 
Thou, — and thou, — and thou : — you have serv'd me well, 
And kings have been your fellows. 

Cleopatra. [Aside to Enobarbus] What means this? 
Enobarbus. [Aside to Cleopatra] 'T is one of those odd 
tricks which sorrow shoots 
Out of the mind. 



ACT IV. SCENE II. lo y 

Antony. And thou art honest too. 

I wish I could be made so many men, 
And all of you clapp'd up together in 
An Antony, that I might do you service 
So good as you have done. 

All. The gods forbid ! 

Antony. Well, my good fellows, wait on me to-night; 20 
.Scant not my cups, and make as much of me 
As when my empire was your fellow too, 
And suffer'd my command. 

Cleopatra. [Aside to Enobarbus~\ What does he mean ? 

Enobarbus. [Aside to Cleopatra] To make his followers 
weep. 

Antony. Tend me to-night ; 

May be it is the period of your duty. 
Haply you shall not see me more ; or if, 
A mangled shadow : perchance to-morrow 
You '11 serve another master. I look on you 
As one that takes his leave. Mine honest friends, 
I turn you not away; but, like a master 30 

Married to your good service, stay till death. 
Tend me to-night two hours, I ask no more, 
And the gods yield you for 't ! 

Enobarbus. What mean you, sir, 

To give them this discomfort? Look, they weep; 
And I, an ass, am onion-eyed. For shame, 
Transform us not to women. 

Antony. Ho, ho, ho ! 

Now the witch take me if I meant it thus ! 
Grace grow where those drops fall ! My hearty friends, 
You take me in too dolorous a sense ; 

For I spake to you for your comfort, did desire you 4 o 

To burn this night with torches. Know, my hearts, 
I hope well of to-morrow, and will lead you 
Where rather I '11 expect victorious life 



io 8 ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 

Than death and honour. Let 's to supper, come, 

And drown consideration. [Exeunt. 



Scene III. The Same. Before the Palace. 

Enter two Soldiers to their guard. 

i Soldier. Brother, good night; to-morrow is the day. 
2 Soldier. It will determine one way; fare you well. 
Heard you of nothing strange about the streets? 
i Soldier. Nothing. What news? 

2 Soldier. Belike 't is but a rumour. Good night to you. 
i Soldier. Well, sir, good night. 

Enter two other Soldiers. 

2 Soldier. Soldiers, have careful watch. 

3 Soldier. And you. Good night, good night. 

[They place themselves in every comer of the stage. 

4 Soldier. Here we ; and if to-morrow 

Our navy thrive, I have an absolute hope io 

Our landmen will stand up. 

3 Soldier. 'T is a brave army, 
And full of purpose. 

[ Music of the hautboys as under the stage. 

4 Soldier. Peace ! what noise ? 

i Soldier. List, list ! 

2 Soldier. Hark ! 

i Soldier. Music i' the air. 

3 Soldier. Under the earth. 

4 Soldier. It signs well, does it not ? 

3 Soldier. No. 

i Soldier. Peace, I say ! 

What should this mean ? 

2 Soldier. 'T is the god Hercules, whom Antony lov'd, 
Now leaves him. 

i Soldier. Walk ; let J s see if other watchmen 

Do hear what we do. [They advance to another post. 



ACT IV. SCENE IV. I09 

2 Soldier. How now, masters ! 

All. [Speaking together] How now? 

How now! do you hear this? 

i Soldier. Ay ; is 't not strange ? 

3 Soldier. Do you hear, masters? do you hear? 20 
i Soldier. Follow the noise so far as we have quarter; 

Let 's see how it will give off. 

All. Content. 'T is strange. [Exeunt. 

Scene IV. The Same. A Room in the Palace. 

Enter Antony and Cleopatra, Charmian, and others at- 
tending. 

Antony. Eros ! mine armour, Eros ! 

Cleopatra. Sleep a little. 

Antony. No, my chuck. — Eros, come ; mine armour, Eros ! 

Enter Eros with armour. 

Come, good fellow, put mine iron on. — 
If fortune be not ours to-day, it is 
Because we brave her. — Come. 

Cleopatra. Nay, I'll help too. 

What 's this for? 

Antony. Ah, let be, let be ! thou art 

The armourer of my heart. False, false ; this, this. 

Cleopatra. Sooth, la, I '11 help; thus it must be. 

Antony. Well, well; 

We shall thrive now. — Seest thou, my good fellow? 
Go put on thy defences. 

Eros. Briefly, sir. io 

Cleopatra. Is not this buckled well ? 

Antony. Rarely, rarely ; 

He that unbuckles this, till we do please 
To daff 't for our repose, shall hear a storm. — 
Thou fumblest, Eros ; and my queen 's a squire 



no ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 

More tight at this than thou : dispatch. — O love, 
That thou couldst see my wars to-day, and knew'st 
The royal occupation ! thou shouldst see 
A workman in 't. — 

Enter an armed Soldier. 

Good morrow to thee; welcome! 
Thou look'st like him that knows a warlike charge. 
To business that we love we rise betime, 20 

And go to 't with delight. 

Soldier. A thousand, sir, 

Early though 't be, have on their riveted trim, 
And at the port expect you. [Shout. Trumpets flourish. 

Enter Captains and Soldiers. 

Captain. The morn is fair. — Good morrow, general. 

All. Good morrow, general. 

Antony. 'T is well blown, lads. 

This morning, like the spirit of a youth 
That means to be of note, begins betimes. — 
So, so; come, give me that: this way; well said. 
Fare thee well, dame, whate'er becomes of me; 
This is a soldier's kiss. Rebukable [Kisses her, 

And worthy shameful check it were, to stand 31 

On more mechanic compliment; I '11 leave thee 
Now, like a man of steelJ-^-You that will fight, 
Follow me close ; I '11 bring you to 't. — Adieu. 

[Exeunt Antony, Eros, Captains, and Soldiers. 

Charmian. Please you, retire to your chamber. 

Cleopatra. Lead me. 

He goes forth gallantly. That he and Caesar might 
Determine this great war in single fight! 
Then, Antony, — but now — Well, on. [Exeunt. 



ACT IV. SCENE V. riI 

Scene V. Alexandria. Antonys Camp. 

Triimpets sound. Enter Antony and Eros ; a Soldier meet- 
ing them. 

Soldier. The gods make this a happy day to Antony! 

Antony. Would thou and those thy scars had once pre- 
vails 
To make me fight at land ! 

Soldier. Hadst thou done so, 

The kings that have revolted, and the soldier 
That has this morning left thee, would have still 
Follow'd thy heels. 

Antony. Who 's gone this morning? 

Soldier. Who! 

One ever near thee; call for Enobarbus, 
He shall not hear thee, or from Caesar's camp 
Say 'I am none of thine.' 

Antony. 'What say'st thou ? 

Soldier. Sir, 

He is with Caesar. 

Eros. Sir, his chests and treasure 10 

He has not with him. 

Antony. Is he gone ? 

Soldier. Most certain. 

Antony. Go, Eros, send his treasure after; do it : 
Detain no jot, I charge thee. Write to him — 
I will subscribe — gentle adieus and greetings ; 
Say that I wish he never find more cause 
To change a master. — O, my fortunes have 
Corrupted honest men ! — Dispatch. — Enobarbus ! [Exeunt. 



U2 ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 



Scene VI. Alexandria. Ccesar's Camp. 

Flourish. Enter Caesar, Agrippa, with Enobarbus, and 

others. 

Ccesar. Go forth, Agrippa, and begin the fight. 
Our will is Antony be took alive; 
Make it so known. 

Agrippa. Caesar, I shall. [Exit. 

Ccesar. The time of universal peace is near; 
Prove this a prosperous day, the three-nook'd world 
Shall bear the olive freely. 

Enter a Messenger. 

Messenger. Antony 

Is come into the field. 

Ccesar. Go charge Agrippa 

Plant those that have revolted in the van, 
That Antony may seem to spend* his fury 10 

Upon himself. [Exeunt all but Enobarbus. 

Enobarbus. Alexas did revolt, and went to Jewry 
On affairs of Antony; there did persuade 
Great Herod to incline himself to Caesar, 
And leave his master Antony : for this pains 
Caesar hath hang'd him. Canidius and the rest 
That fell away have entertainment, but 
No honourable trust. I have done ill, 
Of which I do accuse myself so sorely 
That I will joy no more. 

E titer a Soldier of CcBsar's. 

Soldier. Enobarbus, Antony 20 

Hath after thee sent all thy treasure, with 
His bounty overplus ; the messenger 
Came on my guard, and at thy tent is now 
Unloading of his mules. 



ACT IV SCENE VII. n 3 

Enobarbus. I give it you. 

Soldier. Mock not, Enobarbus; 
I tell you true. Best you saf d the bringer 
Out of the host; I must attend mine office, 
Or would have done 't myself. Your emperor 
Continues still a Jove. [Exit. 

Enobarbus. I am alone the villain of the earth, 30 

And feel I am so most. — O Antony, 
Thou mine of bounty, how wouldst thou have paid 
My better service, when my turpitude 
Thou dost so crown with gold ! This blows my heart : 
If swift thought break it not, a swifter mean 
Shall outstrike thought; but thought will do 't, I feel. 
I fight against thee ! — No ! I will go seek 
Some ditch wherein to die; the foul'st best fits 
My latter part of life. [Exit. 

Scene VII. Field of Battle between the Camps. 

Alarum. Drums and trumpets. Enter Agrippa and others. 

Agrippa. Retire, we have engag'd ourselves too far. 
Caesar himself has work, and our oppression 
Exceeds what we expected. [Exeunt. 

Alarum. Enter Antony, and Scarus wounded. 

Scai'us. O my brave emperor, this is fought indeed ! 
Had we done so at first, we had droven them home 
With clouts about their heads. 

Antony. Thou bleed'st apace. 

Scarus. I had a wound here that was like a T, 
But now 't is made an H. 

Antony. They do retire. 

Scarus. We '11 beat 'em into bench-holes; I have yet 
Room for six scotches more. 10 

H 



ii4 



ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 



Enter Eros. 

Eros. They are beaten, sir, and our advantage serves 
For a fair victory. 

Scarus. Let us score their backs, 

And snatch 'em up, as we take hares, behind ; 
'T is sport to maul a runner. 

Antony. J will reward thee 

Once for thy spritely comfort, and tenfold 
For thy good valour. Come thee on. 

Scarus. I '11 halt after. [Exeunt. 

Scene VIII. Under the Walls of Alexandria. 

Alarum. Enter Antony, in a march; Scarus, with others. 

Antony. We have beat him to his camp; run one before, 
And let the queen know of our gests. — To-morrow, 
Before the sun shall see 's, we '11 spill the blood 
That has to-day escap'd. I thank you all, 
For doughty-handed are you, and have fought 
Not as you serv'd the cause, but as 't had been 
Each man's like mine; you have shown all Hectors. 
Enter the city, clip your wives, your friends, 
Tell them your feats; whilst they with joyful tears 
Wash the congealment from your wounds, and kiss io 

The honour'd gashes whole. — [To Scarus] Give me thy 
hand. 

Enter Cleopatra, attended. 

To this great fairy I '11 commend thy acts, 

Make her thanks bless thee. — [To Cleopatra] O thou day o' 

the world, 
Chain mine arm'd neck ;[ leap thou, attire and all, 
Through proof of harness to my heart, and there 
Ride on the pants triumphing ! j 

Cleopatra. Lord of lords ! 



ACT IV. SCENE IX. 115 

O infinite virtue, com'st thou smiling from 
The world's great snare uncaught? 

Antony. My nightingale, 

We have beat them to their beds. What, girl ! though grey 
Do something mingle with our younger brown, yet ha' we 
A brain that nourishes our nerves, and can . 21 

Get goal for goal of youth. Behold this man ; 
Commend unto his lips thy favouring hand. — 
Kiss it, my warrior. — He hath fought to-day 
As if a god in hate of mankind had 
Destroy'd in such a shape. 

Cleopatra. I '11 give thee, friend, 

An armour all of gold ; it was a king's. 

Afitofiy. He has deserv'd it, were it carbuncled 
Like holy Phcebus' car. — Give me thy hand. 
Through Alexandria make a jolly march; 30 

Bear our hack'd targets like the men that owe them. 
Had our great palace the capacity 
To camp this host, we all would sup together, 
And drink carouses to the next day's fate, 
Which promises royal peril. — Trumpeters, 
With brazen din blast you the city's ear; 
Make mingle with our rattling tabourines, 
That heaven and earth may strike their sounds together, 
Applauding our approach. [Exeunt. 

Scene IX. Ccesar's Camp. 
Sentinels at their post. 

1 Soldier. If we be not reliev'd within this hour, 
We must return to the court of guard. The night 
Is shiny, and they say we shall embattle 

By the second hour i' the morn. 

2 Soldier. This last day was 
A shrewd one to 's. 



n6 ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 

Enter Enobarbus. 

Enobarbus. 0, bear me witness, night, — 

3 Soldier. What man is this? 

2 Soldier. Stand close, and list him. 
Enobarbus. Be witness to me, O thou blessed moon, 

When men revolted shall upon record 
Bear hateful memory, poor Enobarbus did 
Before thy face repent ! 

i Soldier. Enobarbus ! 

3 Soldier. Peace ! io 
Hark further. 

Enobarbus. O sovereign mistress of true melancholy, 
The poisonous damp of night disponge upon me, 
That life, a very rebel to my will, 
May hang no longer on me ; throw my heart 
Against the flint and hardness of my fault, 
W T hich, being dried with grief, will break to powder, 
And finish all foul thoughts. — O Antony, 
Nobler than my revolt is infamous, 

Forgive me in thine own particular; 20 

But let the world rank me in register 
A master-leaver and a fugitive. 
O Antony ! O Antony ! [Dies. 

2 Soldier. Let 's speak 
To him. 

1 Soldier. Let 's hear him, for the things he speaks 
May concern Caesar. 

3 Soldier. Let 's do so. But he sleeps. 

1 Soldier. Swoons rather; for so bad a prayer as his 
Was never yet for sleep. 

2 Soldier. Go we to him. 

3 Soldier. Awake, sir, awake ! speak to us. 

2 Soldier. Hear you, sir ? 

1 Soldier. The hand of death hath raught him. [Drums 
afar off] Hark ! the drums 



ACT IV. SCENES X., XL, AND XII. 1T y 

Demurely wake the sleepers. Let us bear him 30 

To the court of guard ; he is of note : our hour 
Is fully out. 

3 Soldier. Come on, then ; 
He may recover yet. \_Exeunt with the body. 

Scene X. Between the two Camps. 
Enter Antony and Scarus, with their Army. 

Antony. Their preparation is to-day by sea; 
We please them not by land. 

Scarus. For both, my lord. 

Antony. I would they 'd fight i' the fire or i' the air ; 
We 'd fight there too. But this it is ; our foot 
Upon the hills adjoining to the city 
Shall stay with us. — Order for sea is given; 
They have put forth the haven. — Forward, now, 
Where their appointment we may best discover, 
And look on their endeavour. [Exeunt. 

Scene XI. Another Part of the Same. 
Enter Cesar, and his Army. 

Ccesar. But being charg'd, we will be still by land, 
Which, as I take 't, we shall; for his best force 
Is forth to man his galleys. To the vales, 
And hold our best advantage ! [Exeunt. 

Scene XII. Another Part of the Same. 

Enter Antony and Scarus. 

Antony. Yet they are not join'd. Where yond pine does 
stand, 
I shall discover all ; I '11 bring thee word 
Straight, how 't is like to go. [Exit. 



TI 8 ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 

Scarus. Swallows have built 

In Cleopatra's sails their nests; the augurers 
Say they know not, they cannot tell, — look grimly, 
And dare not speak their knowledge. Antony 
Is valiant, and dejected; and, by starts, 
His fretted fortunes give him hope and fear 
Of what he has and has not. 

[Alarum afar off, as at a sea-fight. 

Re-enter Antony. 

Antony. All is lost; 

This foul Egyptian hath betrayed me. 10 

My fleet hath yielded to the foe; and yonder 
They cast their caps up and carouse together 
Like friends long lost. — Triple-turn'd whore ! 't is thou 
Hast sold me to this novice, and my heart 
Makes only wars on thee. — Bid them all fly; 
For when I am reveng'd upon my charm, 
I have done all. — Bid them all fly; begone. — [Exit Scams. 
O sun, thy uprise shall I see no more 1 
Fortune and iintony part here ; even here 
Do we shake hands. — All come to this? — The hearts 20 

That spaniell'd me at heels, to whom I gave 
Their wishes, do discandy, melt their sweets 
On blossoming Caesar; and this pine is bark'd, 
That overtopp'd them all. Betray'd I am. 
O this false soul of Egypt ! this grave charm, — 
Whose eye beck'd forth my wars, and call'd them home, 
Whose bosom was my crownet, my chief end, — 
Like a right gypsy, hath, at fast and loose, 
Beguil'd me to, the verv heart of loss. — 
What, Eros, Eros ! 

E?iter Cleopatra. 

Ah, thou spell ! Avaunt ! 30 



ACT IV. SCENE XIII. 



ii 9 



Cleopatra. Why is my lord enrag'd against his love ? 

Antony. Vanish, or I shall give thee thy deserving, 
And blemish Caesar's triumph. Let him take thee, 
And hoist thee up to the shouting plebeians. 
Follow his chariot, like the greatest spot 
Of all thy sex; most monster-like, be shown 
For poor'st diminutives, for dolts; and let 
Patient Octavia plough thy visage up 
With her prepared nails. [Exit Cleopatra.] 'T is well thou'rt 

gone, 
If it be well to live ; but better 't were 40 

Thou fell'st into my fury, for one death 
Might have prevented many. /-Eros, ho ! — 
The shirt of Nessus is upon me; teach me, 
Alcides, thou mine ancestor, thy rage ; 
Let me lodge Lichas on the horns o' the moon, 
And with those hands that grasp'd the heaviest club 
Subdue my worthiest self. ' The witch shall die •. 
To the young Roman boy she hath sold me, and I fall 
Under this plot ; she dies for 't. — Eros, ho ! \_Exit. 

Scene XIII. Alexandria. Cleopatra's Palace. 
Enter Cleopatra, Charmian, Iras, and Mardian. 

Cleopatra. Help me, my women ! O, he is more mad 
Than Telamon for his shield ; the boar of Thessaly 
Was never so emboss'd. 

Charmian. To the monument ! 

There lock yourself, and send him word you are dead. 
The soul and body rive not more in parting 
Than greatness going off, 

Cleopatra. To the monument ! — 

Mardian, go tell him I have slain myself; 
Say that the last I spoke was 'Antony,' 
And word it, prithee, piteously. Hence, Mardian, 



I20 ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 

And bring me how he takes my death.— To the monu- 
ment ! {Exeunt 

Scene XIV. The Same. Another Room. 
Enter Antony and Eros. 

Antony. Eros, thou yet behold'st me ? 

Eros > Ay, noble lord. 

Antony. Sometime we see a cloud that 's dragonish, 
A vapour sometime like a bear or lion, 
A tower'd citadel, a pendent rock, 
A forked mountain, or blue promontory 
With trees upon 't, that nod unto the world 
And mock our eyes with air: thou hast seen these signs; 
They are black vesper's pageants. 

Eros. Ay, my lord. 

Antony. That which is now a horse, even with a thought 
The rack dislimns and makes it indistinct IO 

As water is in water. 

■Eros. It does, my lord. 

Antony. My good knave Eros, now thy captain is 
Even such a body; here I am Antony, 
Yet cannot hold this visible shape, my knave. 
I made these wars for Egypt, and the queen, — 
Whose heart I thought I had, for she had mine, 
Which whilst it was mine had annex'd unto 't 
A million moe, now lost,— she, Eros, has 
Pack'd cards with Cassar, and false play'd my glory 
Unto an enemy's triumph. — 20 

Nay, weep not, gentle Eros ; there is left us 
Ourselves to end ourselves. — 

Enter Mardian. 

O, thy vile lady ! 
She has robb'd me of my sword. 



ACT IV SCENE XIV. 12 1 

Mardian. No, Antony; 

My mistress lov'd thee, and her fortunes mingled 
With thine entirely. 

Antony. Hence, saucy eunuch; peace! 

She hath betray'd me and shall die the death. 

Mardian. Death of one person can be paid but once, 
And that she has discharg'd. What thou wouldst do 
Is done unto thy hand; the last she spake 
Was 'Antony! most noble Antony!' 30 

Then in the midst a tearing groan did break 
The name of Antony; it was divided 
Between her heart and lips : she render'd life, 
Thy name so buried in her. 

Antony, Dead, then? 

Mardian. Dead. 

Antony. Unarm, Eros; the long day's task is done, 
And we must sleep.— [To Mardian] That thou depart'st 

hence safe, 
Does pay thy labour richly; go— [Exit Mardian.] Off, 

pluck off! — 
The seven-fold shield of Ajax cannot keep 
The battery from my heart. O, cleave, my sides ! 
Heart, once be stronger than thy continent, 40 

Crack thy frail case !— Apace. Eros, apace.— 
No more a soldier.— Bruised pieces, go; 
You have been nobly borne.— From me awhile.— 

[Exit Eros. 

I will o'ertake thee, Cleopatra, and 

Weep for my pardon. So it must be, for now 

All length is torture ; since the torch is out, 

Lie down, and stray no farther.— Now all labour 

Mars what it does ; yea, very force entangles 

Itself with strength : seal then, and all is done. — 

Eros !— I come, my queen !— Eros !— Stay for me ! 50 

Where souls do couch on flowers, we '11 hand in hand, 



I22 ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 

And with our sprightly port make the ghosts gaze ; 

Dido and her ^Eneas shall want troops, 

And all the haunt be ours. — Come, Eros, Eros! 

Re-enter Eros. 

Eros. What would my lord ? 

Antofiy. Since Cleopatra died, 

I have liv'd in such dishonour, that the gods 
Detest my baseness. I, that with my 'sword 
Quarter'd the world, and o'er green Neptune's back 
With ships made cities, condemn myself to lack 
The courage of a woman ; less noble mind 60 

Than she which by her death our Caesar tells 
' I am conqueror of myself.' Thou art sworn, Eros, 
That, when the exigent should come — which now 
Is come indeed — when I should see behind me 
The inevitable prosecution of 
Disgrace and horror, that, on my command, 
Thou then wouldst kill me. Do 't; the time is come. 
Thou strik'st not me, 't is Caesar thou defeat'st. 
Put colour in thy cheek. 

Eros. The gods withhold me! 

Shall I do that which all the Parthian darts, - 70 

Though enemy, lost aim and could not? 

Anto7iy. Eros, 

Wouldst thou be window'd in great Rome and see 
Thy master thus with pleach'd arms, bending down 
His corrigible neck, his face subdued 
To penetrative shame, whilst the wheel'd seat 
Of fortunate Caesar, drawn before him, branded 
His baseness that ensued? 

Eros. I would not see 't. 

Antony. Come, then; for with a wound I must be cur'd. 
Draw that thy honest sword, which thou hast worn 
Most useful for thy country. 



ACT IV. SCENE XIV. I23 

Eros. O, sir, pardon me ! 80 

Antony. When I did make thee free, sworst thou not then 
To do this when I bade thee? Do it at once, 
Or thy precedent services are all 
But accidents unpurpos'd. Draw, and come. 

Eros. Turn from me, then, that noble countenance, 
Wherein the worship of the whole world lies. 

Antony. Lothee! [Turning from him. 

Eros. My sword is drawn. 

Antony. Then let it do at once 

The thing why thou hast drawn it. 

Eros. My dear master, 

My captain, and my emperor, let me say, 9 o 

Before I strike this bloody stroke, farewell. 

Antony. 'T is said, man; and farewell. 

Eros. Farewell, great chief. Shall I strike now? 

Antony. Now, Eros. 

Eros. Why, there then ! — Thus I do escape the sorrow 
Of Antony's death. [Kills himself 

Antony. Thrice-nobler than myself! 

Thou teachest me, O valiant Eros, what 
I should, and thou couldst not. My queen and Eros 
Have by their brave instruction got upon me 
A nobleness in record; but I will be 

A bridegroom in my death, and run into 't 100 

As to a lover's bed. Come, then; and, Eros, 
Thy master dies thy scholar: to do thus 

[Falling on his sword. 
I learn'd of thee. How ! not dead ? not dead ? — 
The guard, ho! — O, dispatch me! 

Enter Dercetas and Guard. 

i Guard. What's the noise? 

Antony. I have done my work ill, friends; O, make an end 
Of what I have begun ! 



124 



ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA, 



2 Guard. The star is fall'n. 

i Guard. And time is at his period. 

All. Alas, and woe ! 

Antony. Let him that loves me strike me dead. 

i Guard. Not I. 

2 Guard. Nor I. 109 

3 Guard. Nor any one. [Exeunt Guard. 
Dercetas. Thy death and fortunes bid thy followers fly. 

This sword but shown to Caesar, with this tidings, 
Shall enter me with him. 

Enter Diomedes. 

Diomedes. Where 's Antony? 

Dercetas. There, Diomed, there. 

Diomedes. Lives he? 

Wilt thou not answer, man? [Exit Dercetas. 

Antony. Art thou there, Diomed? Draw thy sword- and 
give me 
Sufficing strokes for death. 

Diomedes. Most absolute lord, 

My mistress Cleopatra sent me to thee. 

Antony. When did she send thee? 

Diomedes. Now. my lord. 

Antony. Where is she? 

Diomedes. Lock'd in her monument. She had a prophe- 
sying fear 120 
Of what hath come to pass : for when she saw — 
Which never shall be found — you did suspect 
She had dispos'd with Caesar, and that your rage 
Would not be purg'd, she sent you word she was dead; 
But, fearing since how it might work, hath sent 
Me to proclaim the truth, — and I am come, 
I dread, too late. 

Antony. Too late, good Diomed. Call my guard, I 
prithee. 



ACT IV. SCENE XV. 125 

Diomedes. What, ho, the emperor's guard ! The guard, 
what, ho ! 
Come, your lord calls ! I3 ° 

Enter four or five of the Guard of Antony. 

Antony. Bear me, good friends, where Cleopatra bides ; 
T is the last service that I shall command you. 

1 Guard. Woe, woe are we, sir, you may not live to wear 
All your true followers out. 

^//_ Most heavy day ! 

Antony. Nay, good my fellows, do not please sharp fate 
To grace it with your sorrows ; bid that welcome 
Which comes to punish us, and we punish it 
Seeming to bear it lightly. Take me up. 
I have led you oft ; carry me now, good friends, 139 

And have my thanks for all. ( [Exeunt, bearing Antony. 

Scene XV. The Same. A Monument. 
Enter Cleopatra, and her maids aloft, with Charmtan and 

Iras. 

Cleopatra. O Charmian, I will never go from hence. 

Charmian. Be comforted, dear madam. 

Cleopatra. No, I will not. 

All strange and terrible events are welcome, 
But comforts we despise; our size of sorrow, 
Proportion'd to our cause, must be as great 
As that which makes it. — 

Enter, below, Diomedes. 

How, now ! is he dead ? 
Diomedes. His death 's upon him, but not dead. 
Look out o' the other side your monument ; 
His guard have brought him thither. 



I2 6 ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 

Enter, below, Antony, borne by the Guard. 

Cleopatra. O sun, 

Burn the great sphere t,hou mov'st in! darkling stand 10 

The varying shore o' the world ! — O Antony, 
Antony, Antony! — Help, Charmian, help, Iras, help; 
Help, friends below; let 's draw him hither. 

Antony. Peace ! 

Not Caesar's valour hath o'erthrown Antony, 
But Antony's hath triumph'd on itself. 

Cleopatra. So it should be, that none but Antony 
Should conquer Antony; but woe 't is so ! 

Antony. I am dying, Egypt, dying; only 
I here importune death awhile, until 

Of many thousand kisses the poor last 20 

I lay upon thy lips. 

Cleopatra. I dare not, dear, — 

Dear my lord, pardon, — I dare not, 
Lest I be taken : not the imperious show 
Of the full-fortun'd Caesar ever shall 
Be brooch'd with me; if knife, drugs, serpents, have 
Edge, sting, or operation, I am safe. 
Your wife Octavia, with her modest eyes 
And still conclusion, shall acquire no honour 
Demuring upon me. But come, come, Antony,— 
Help me, my women, — we must draw thee up. — 30 

Assist, good friends. 

Antony. O, quick, or I am gone. 

Cleopatra. Here 's sport indeed ! — How heavy weighs my 
lord ! 
Our strength is all gone into heaviness, 
That makes the weight. Had I great Juno's power, 
The strong-wing'd Mercury should fetch thee up, 
And set thee by Jove's side. Yet come a little', — 
Wishers were ever fools, — O, come, come, come ; 

[ They heave Antony aloft to Cleopatra. 



ACT IV. SCENE XV. I27 

And welcome, welcome ! die where thou hast liv'd ; 
Quicken with kissing : had my lips that power, 
Thus would I wear them out. 



All. A heavy sight 



40 



Antony. I am dying, Egypt, dying.— 
Give me some wine, and let me speak a little. 

Cleopatra. No, let me speak; and let me rail so high, 
That the false huswife Fortune break her wheel, 
Provok'd by my offence. 

Antony. One word, sweet queen; 

Of Caesar seek your honour with your safety. — O! 

Cleopatra. They do not go together. 

Antony. Gentle, hear me ; 

None about Caesar trust but Proculeius. 

Cleopatra. My resolution and my hands I '11 trust, 
None about Caesar. so 

Antony. The miserable change now at my end 
Lament nor sorrow at, but please your thoughts 
In feeding them with those my former fortunes 
Wherein I liv'd, the greatest prince o' the world. 
The noblest, and do now not basely die, 
Not cowardly put off my helmet to 
My countryman, — a Roman by a Roman 
Valiantly vanquish'd. Now my spirit is going; 
I can no more. 

Cleopatra. Noblest of men, woo't die ? 

Hast thou no care of me? shall I abide 60 

In this dull world, which in thy absence is 
No better than a sty? — O, see, my women, [Antony dies. 

The crown o' the earth doth melt. — My lord! — 
O, wither'd is the garland of the war, 
The soldier's pole is fall'n : young boys and girls 
Are level now with men ; the odds is gone, 
And there is nothing left remarkable 
Beneath the visiting moon. 



128 



ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 



Charmian. O, quietness, lady! 

Iras. She is dead too, our sovereign. 

Charmian. Lady ! 

Iras. Madam ! 

Charmian. O madam, madam, madam ! 

Iras. Royal Egypt, 7 o 

Empress ! 

Charmian. Peace, peace, Iras ! 

Cleopatra. No more, but e'en a woman, and commanded 
By such poor passion as the maid that milks 
And does the meanest chares. — It were for me 
To throw my sceptre at the injurious gods; 
To tell them that this world did equal theirs 
Till they had stol'n our jewel. All 's but naught; 
Patience is sottish, and impatience does 
Become a dog that 's mad : then is it sin So 

To rush into the secret house of death, 
Ere death dare come to us? — How do you, women ? 
What, what! good cheer! — Why, how now, Charmian! — 
My noble girls ! Ah, women, women, look, 
Our lamp is spent, it 's out ! — Good sirs, take heart. 
We '11 bury him; and then, what 's brave, what 's noble, 
Let 's do it after the high Roman fashion, 
And make death proud to take us. — Come, away: 
This case of that huge spirit now is cold. — 
Ah, women, women ! come; we have no friend 90 

But resolution and the briefest end. . 

[Exeunt; those above bearing off Antony's body. 




COIN OF ANTONY, EXECUTED AT ANTIOCH. 



^m^SkiSlfiiiiiiiit, 




INTERIOR OF AN EGYPTIAN TOMB. 



ACT V. 

Scene I. Alexandria. Ccesar's Camp. 
E?iter Cesar, Agrippa, Dolabella, Maecenas, Gallus, 
Proculeius, and others, his council of war. 
CcBsar. Go to him, Dolabella, bid him yield; 
Being so frustrate, tell him he mocks 
The pauses that he makes. 

Dolabella. Caesar, I shall. Y&xtt. 

Enter Dercetas, with the sword of Antony. 

Ccesar. Wherefore is that? and what art thou that da;'st 
Appear thus to us? 

Dercetas. I am call'd Dercetas; 

Mark Antony I serv'd, who best was worthy 
Best to be serv'd : whilst he stood up and spoke, 
He was my master, and I wore my life 



I3 o ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 

To spend upon his haters. If thou please 

To take me to thee, as I was to him 10 

I '11 be to Caesar; if thou pleasest not, 

I yield thee up my life. 

Ccesar. What is 't thou say'st? 

Dercetas. I say, O Caesar, Antony is dead. 

Ccesar. The breaking of so great a thing should make 
A greater crack ; the round world 
Should have shook lions into civil streets, 
And citizens to their dens, j The death of Antony 
Is not a single doom ; in the name lay 
A moiety of the world.) 

Dercetas. He is dead, Caesar : 

Not by a public minister of justice, 20 

Nor by a hired knife; but that self hand, 
Which writ his honour in the acts it did, 
Hath, with the courage which the heart did lend it, 
Splitted the heart. This is his sword ; 
I robb'd his wound of it : behold it stain'd 
With his most noble blood. 

Ccesar. Look you sad, friends? 

The gods rebuke me, but it is tidings 
To wash the eyes of kings. 

Agrippa. And strange it is, 

That nature must compel us to lament 
Our most persisted deeds. 

Mcecenas. His taints and honours 30 

Wag'd equal with him. 

Agrippa. A rarer spirit never 

Did steer humanity ; but you, gods, will give us 
Some faults to make us men. Caesar is touch'd. 

Mcecenas. When such a spacious mirror 's set before him, 
He needs must see himself. ] } 

Ccesar. Antony! 

I have follow'd thee to this ; but we do lance 



ACT V. SCENE I. 131 

Diseases in our bodies. I must perforce 

Have shown to thee such a declining day, 

Or look on thine ; we could not stall together 

In the whole world. But yet let me lament, 4 o 

With tears as sovereign as the blood of hearts, 

That thou, my brother, my competitor 

In top of all design, my mate in empire, 

Friend and companion in the front of war, 

The arm of mine own body, and the heart 

Where mine his thoughts did kindle,— that our stars, 

Unreconciliable, should divide 

Our equalness to this.— Hear me, good friends,— 

But I will tell you at some meeter season : 

Enter an Egyptian. 

The business of this man looks out of him ; 50 

We '11 hear him what he says. — Whence are you? 

Egyptian. A poor Egyptian yet. — The queen my mistress, 
Confin'd in all she has, her monument, 
Of thy intents desires instruction, 
That she preparedly may frame herself 
To the way she 's forc'd to. 

Ccesar. Bid her have good heart. 

She soon shall know of us, by some of ours, 
How honourable and how kindly we 
Determine for her; for Caesar cannot live 
To be ungentle. 

Egyptian. So the gods preserve thee ! {Exit 

Ccesar. Come hither, Proculeius. Go and say, 61 

We purpose her no shame. Give her what comforts 
The quality of her gassion shall require, 
Lest, in her greatness, by some mortal stroke 
She do defeat us ; for her life in Rome 
Would be eternal in our triumph. Go, 
And with your speediest bring us what she says, 
And how vou find of her. 



I $ 2 AATTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 

Procideius. Caesar, I shall. [Exit. 

Ccesar. Gallus, go you along. — [Exit Gallus.] Where 's 
Dolabella, 
To second Proculeius ? 

All. Dolabella! 7 o 

Coesqr. Let him alone, for I remember now 
How he 's employ'd ; he shall in time be ready. 
Go with me to my tent, where you shall see 
How hardly I was drawn into this war, 
How calm and gentle I proceeded still 
In all my writings. Go with me, and see 
What I can show in this. [Exeunt. 

Scene II. Alexandria. A Room in the Monument. 

Enter Cleopatra, C harm i an, and Iras. 

Cleopatra. My desolation does begin to make 
A better life. 'T is paltry to be Caesar; 
Not being Fortune, he 'sbut Fortune's knave, 
A minister of her will :\and it is great 
To do that thing that ends all other deeds, 
Which shackles accidents and bolts up change, 
Which sleeps, and never palates more the dung, 
The beggar's nurse and Caesar's.A 

Enter, to the gates of the mo?iume?tt, Proculeius, Gallus, and 

Soldiers. 

Proculeius. Caesar sends greeting to the Queen of Egypt, 
And bids thee study on what fair demands 10 

Thou mean'st to have him grant thee. 

Cleopatra. What 's thy name? 

P?'oculeius. My name is Proculeius. 

Cleopatra. Antony 

Did tell me of you, bade me trust you ; but 
I do not greatly care to be deceiv'd, 



ACT V. SCENE II. ^3 

That have no use for trusting. If your master 

Would have a queen his beggar, you must tell him, 

That majesty, to keep decorum, must 

No less beg than a kingdom ; if he please 

To give me conquer'd Egypt for my son, 

He gives me so much of mine own as I 20 

Will kneel to him with thanks. 

Proculeius. Be of good cheer ; 

You 're fall'n into a princely hand, fear nothing. 
Make your full reference freely to my lord, 
Who is so full of grace that it flows over 
On all that need. Let me report to him 
Your sweet dependency, and you shall find 
A conqueror that will pray in aid for kindness, 
Where he for grace is kneel'd to. 

Cleopatra. Pray you, tell him 

I am his fortune's vassal, and I send him 
The greatness he has got. I hourly learn 30 

A doctrine of obedience, and would gladly 
Look him i' the face. 

Proculeius. This I '11 report, dear lady. 

Have comfort, for I know your plight is pitied 
Of him that caus'd it. 

Gallus. You see how easily she may be surpris'd.— 

[Here Proculeius and two of the Guard ascend 
the monument by a ladder placed against a 
window, cmd, having descended, come behind 
Cleopatra. Some of the Guard unbar and 
open the gates. 
[To Proculeius] Guard her till Caesar come. [Exit. 

Iras. Royal queen ! 

Charmian. O Cleopatra! thou art taken, queen. 

Cleopatra. Quick, quick, good hands. [Drawing a dagger. 

Proculeius. Hold, worthy lady, hold ! 

[Seizes and disarms her. 



j, 4 ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 

Do not yourself such wrong, who are in this 40 

Reliev'd, but not betray'd. 

Cleopatra. What, of death too, 

That rids our dogs of languish ? 

Proculeius. Cleopatra, 

Do not abuse my master's bounty by 
The undoing of yourself; let the world see 
His nobleness well acted, which your death 
Will never let come forth. 

Cleopatra. Where art thou, death? 

Come hither, come ! come, come, and take a queen 
Worth many babes and beggars ! 

Proculeius. O, temperance, lady ! 

Cleopatra. Sir, I will eat no meat, I '11 not drink, sir; 
If idle talk will once be necessary, 50 

I '11 not sleep neither. This mortal house I '11 ruin, 
Do Caesar what he can. Know, sir, that I 
Will not wait pinion'd at your master's court; 
Nor once be chastis'd with the sober eye 
Of dull Octavia. Shall they hoist me up 
And show me to the shouting varletry 
Of censuring Rome? Rather a ditch in Egypt 
Be gentle grave unto me ! rather on Nilus' mud 
Lay me stark nak'd, and let the water-flies 
Blow me into abhorring! rather make 60 

My country's high pyramides my gibbet, 
And hang me up in chains ! 

Proculeius. You do extend 

These thoughts of horror further than you shall 
Find cause in Caesar. 

Enter Dolabella. 

Dolabella. Proculeius, 

What thou hast done thy master Caesar knows, 
And he hath sent for thee ; for the queen, 
I '11 take her to my guard. 



ACT V. SCENE II. 135 

Proculeiiis. So, Dolabella, 

It shall content me best ; be gentle to her. — 

[To Cleopatra.] To Caesar I will speak what you shall 
please, 
If you '11 employ me to him. 

Cleopatra. Say, I would die. 70 

[Exeunt Proculeiiis and Soldiers. 

Dolabella. Most noble empress, you have heard of me? 

Cleopatra. I cannot tell. 

Dolabella. Assuredly you know me. 

Cleopatra. No matter, sir, what I have heard or known. 
You laugh when boys or women tell their dreams ; 
Is 't not your trick? 

Dolabella. I understand not, madam. 

Cleopatra. I dream'd there was an Emperor Antony.— 
O, such another sleep, that I might see 
But such another man ! 

Dolabella. If it might please ye — 

Cleopatra. His face was as the heavens; and therein stuck 
A sun and moon, which kept their course, and lighted 80 

The little O, the earth. 

Dolabella. Most sovereign creature,— 

Cleopatra} His legs bestrid the ocean : his rear'd arm 
Crested the world : his voice was propertied 
As all the tuned spheres, and that to friends ; 
But when he meant to quail and shake the orb, 
He was as rattling thunder^ For his bounty, 
There was no winter in 't; an autumn 't was 
That grew the more by reaping \ his delights 
Were dolphin-like ; they show'd his back above 
The element they liv'd in): in his livery 90 

Walk'd crowns and crownets; realms and islands were 
As plates dropp'd from his pocket. 

Dolabella. Cleopatra! 

Cleopatra. Think you there was, or might be, such a man 
As this I dream'd of? 



136 



ANTONY AND CLEOPA TRA. 



Dolabella. Gentle madam, no. 

Cleopat?'a. You lie, up to the hearing of the gods. 
But, if there be, or ever were, one such, 
It 's past the size of dreaming: nature wants stuff 
To vie strange forms with fancy; yet, to imagine 
An Antony, were nature's piece 'gainst fancy, 
Condemning shadows quite. 

Dolabella. Hear me, good madam. 100 

Your loss is as yourself, great ; and you bear it 
As answering to the weight : would I might never 
O'ertake pursued success, but I do feel, 
By the rebound of yours, a grief that smites 
My very heart at root. 

Cleopatra. I thank you, sir. 

Know you what Caesar means to do with me ? 

Dolabella. I am loath to tell you what I would you knew. 

Cleopatra. Nay, pray you, sir, — 

Dolabella. Though he be honourable, — 

Cleopatra. He '11 lead me, then, in triumph? 

Dolabella. Madam, he will; I know 't. no 

[Flourish, and shout withhi, ' Make way there : Caesar !" 

Enter Cesar, Gallus, Proculeius, Maecenas, Seleucus, 
and others of his Iraitt. 

Ccesar. Which is the Queen of Egypt? 

Dolabella. It is the Emperor, madam. [Cleopatra kneels. 

Cmsar. Arise, you shall not kneel. 
I pray you rise ; rise, Egypt. 

Cleopatra. Sir, the gods 

Will have it thus ; my master and my lord 
I must obey. 

Ccesar. Take to you no hard thoughts; 

The record of what injuries you did us, 
Though written in our flesh, we shall remember 
As things but done by chance. 



ACT V. SCENE II. 



137 



Cleopatra. Sole sir o' the world, 120 

I cannot project mine own cause so well 
To make it clear, but do confess I have 
Been laden with like frailties which before 
Have often sham'd our sex. 

Ccesar. Cleopatra, know, 

We will extenuate rather than enforce. 
If you apply yourself to our intents, 
Which towards you are most gentle, you shall find 
A benefit in this change; but if you seek 
To lay on me a cruelty, by taking 

Antony's course, you shall bereave yourself 130 

Of my good purposes, and put your children 
To that destruction which I '11 guard them from, 
If thereon you rely. I '11 take my leave. 

Cleopatra. And may, through all the world: 't is yours; 
and we, 
Your scutcheons and your signs of conquest, shall 
Hang in what place you please. Here, my good lord. 

C&sar. You shall advise me in all for Cleopatra. 

Cleopatra. This is the brief of money, plate, and jewels, 
I am possess'd of; 't is exactly valued, 
Not petty things admitted. — Where 's Seleucus? mo 

Seleucus. Here, madam. 

Cleopatra. This is my treasurer; let him speak, my lord, 
Upon his peril, that I have reserv'd 
To myself nothing. — Speak the truth, Seleucus. 

Seleucus. Madam, 
I had rather seal my lips, than, to my peril, 
Speak that which is not. 

Cleopatra. What have I kept back? 

Seleucus. Enough to purchase what you have made known. 

Czsar. Nay, blush not, Cleopatra; I approve 
Your wisdom in the deed. 

Cleopatra. See, Caesar! O, behold, 150 



I3 8 ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 

How pomp is follow'd ! mine will now be yours, 

And, should we shift estates, yours would be mine. 

The ingratitude of this Seleucus does 

Even make me wild. — O slave, of no more trust 

Than love that 's hir'd ! — What, goest thou back? thou shalt 

Go back, I warrant thee ; but I '11 catch thine eyes, 

Though they had wings. — Slave, soulless villain, dog ! 

O rarely base ! 

Ccesar. Good queen, let us entreat you. 

Cleopatra. O Caesar, what a wounding shame is this, 
That thou, vouchsafing here to visit me, 160 

Doing the honour of thy lordliness 
To one so meek, that mine own servant should 
Parcel the sum of my disgraces by 
Addition of his envy ! Say, good Caesar, 
That I some lady trifles have reserv'd, 
Immoment toys, things of such dignity 
As we greet modern friends withal; and say, 
Some nobler token I have kept apart 
For Livia and Octavia, to induce 

Their mediation ; must I be unfolded no 

With one that I have bred? The gods ! it smites me 
Beneath the fall I have. — [To Seleucus] Prithee, go hence; 
Or I shall show the cinders of my spirits 
Through the ashes of my chance; wert thou a man, 
Thou wouldst have mercy on me. 

Ccesar. Forbear, Seleucus. 

[Exit Seleucus. 

Cleopatra. Be it knowm, that we, the greatest, are misthought 
For things that others do; and, when we fall, 
We answer others' merits in our name, 
Are therefore to be pitied. 

Ccesar. Cleopatra, 

Not what you have reserv'd, nor what acknowledg'd, 180 

Put we i' the roll of conquest : still be 't yours, 



ACT V. SCENE II 



J 39 



Bestow it at your pleasure ; and believe, 

Caesar 's no merchant, to make prize with you 

Of things that merchants sold. Therefore be cheer'd; 

Make not your thoughts your prisons: no, clear queen; 

For we intend so to dispose you as 

Yourself shall give us counsel. Feed, and sleep : 

Our care and pity is so much upon you, 

That we remain your friend; and so, adieu. 

Cleopatra. My master, and my lord ! 

Ccesar. Not so. Adieu. 

[Flourish. Exeunt Ccesar and his train. 

Cleopatra. He words me, girls, he words me, that I should 
not 191 

Be noble to myself; — but, hark thee, Charmian. 

[ Whispers Charmian. 

Iras. Finish, good lady ; the bright day is done, 
And we are for the dark. 

Cleopatra. Hie thee again : 

I have spoke already, and it is provided ; 
Go put it to the haste. 

Charmian. Madam, I will. 

Re-enter Dolabella. 

Dolabella. Where is the queen ? 

Charmian. Behold, sir. [Exit. 

Cleopatra. Dolabella! 

Dolabella. Madam, as thereto sworn by your command, 
Which my love makes religion to obey, 

I tell you this : Caesar through Syria 200 

Intends his journey, and within three days 
You with your children will he send before. 
Make your best use of this; I have perform'd 
Your pleasure and my promise. 

Cleopatra. Dolabella, 

I shall remain your debtor. 



140 



ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 



Dolabella. I your servant. 

Adieu, good queen ; I must attend on Caesar. 

Cleopatra. Farewell, and thanks. — [Exit jDolafrella.] Now, 
Iras, what think'st thou ? 
Thou, an Egyptian puppet, shalt be shown 
In Rome, as well as I : mechanic slaves 
With greasy aprons, rules, and hammers, shall 210 

Uplift us to the view; in their thick breaths, 
Rank of gross diet, shall we be enclouded, 
And forc'd to drink their vapour. 

Iras. The gods forbid ! 

Cleopatra. Nay, 't is most certain, Iras. Saucy lictors 
Will catch at us, like strumpets, and scald rhymers 
Ballad us out o' tune ; the quick comedians, 
Extemporally will stage us, and present 
Our Alexandrian revels; Antony 
Shall be brought drunken forth, and I shall see 
Some squeaking Cleopatra boy my greatness 220 

I' the posture of a whore. 

Iras. O the good gods ! 

Cleopatra. Nay, that 's certain. 

Iras. I '11 never see 't; for, I am sure, my nails 
Are stronger than mine eyes. 

Cleopatra. Why, that 's the way 

To fool their preparation, and to conquer 
Their most absurd intents. — 

Re-enter Charmian. 

Now, Charmian ! — 
Show me, my women, like a queen ; go fetch 
My best attires. — I am again for Cydnus, 
To meet Mark Antony. — Sirrah Iras, go. — 
Now, noble Charmian, we '11 dispatch indeed ; 230 

And, when thou hast clone this chare, I '11 give thee leave 
To play till doomsday. — Bring our crown and all. — 
W T herefore 's this noise? [Exit Iras. A noise within. 



ACT V. SCENE II. 141 

Enter a Guardsman. 

Guardsman. Here is a rural fellow 

That will not be denied your highness' presence; 
He brings you figs. 

Cleopatra. Let him come in. — \Exit Guardsman^ What 
poor an instrument 
May do a noble deed J he brings me liberty. 
My resolution 's plac'd, and I have nothing 
Of woman in me : now from head to foot 
I am marble-constant; now the fleeting moon 240 

No planet is of mine. 

Re-enter Guardsman, with Clown bringing in a basket. 

Guardsman. This is the man. 

Cleopatra. Avoid, and leave him. — \Exit Guardsman. 
Hast thou the pretty worm of Nilus there, 
That kills and pains not ? 

Clown. Truly, I have him ; but I would not be the party 
that should desire you to touch him, for his biting is im- 
mortal : those that do die of it do seldom or never re- 
cover. 248 

Cleopa'ra. Rememberest thou any that have died on 't? 

Clown. Very many, men' and women too. I heard of one 
of them no longer than yesterday; a very honest woman, 
but something given to lie, — as a woman should not do, but 
in the way of honesty, — how she died of the biting of it, 
what pain she felt. Truly, she makes a very good report o' 
the worm, but he that will believe all that they say shall 
never be saved by half that they do; but this is most falli- 
ble, the worm 's an odd worm. 

Cleopatra. Get thee hence ; farewell. 

Clown. I wish you all joy of the worm. 

[Setting down his basket. 

Cleopatra. Farewell. 260 



142 



ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 



Clown. You must think this, look you, that the worm will 
do his kind. 

Cleopatra. Ay, ay; farewell. 

Clow?i. Look you, the worm is not to be trusted but in 
the keeping of wise people; for, indeed, there is no good- 
ness in the worm. 

Cleopatra. Take thou no care; it shall be heeded. 

Clown. Very good. Give it nothing, I pray you, for it is 
not worth the feeding. 

Cleopatra. Will it eat me? 270 

Clown. You must not think I am so simple but I know 
the devil himself will not eat a woman. I know that a 
woman is a dish for the gods, if the devil dress her not. 
But, truly, these same whoreson devils do the gods great 
harm in their women ; for in every ten that they make, the 
devils mar five. 

Cleopatra. Well, get thee gone ; farewell. 

Clowfi. Yes, forsooth; I wish you joy o' the worm. [Exit. 

Re-enter Iras with a robe, crown, etc. 

Cleopatra. Give me my robe, put on my crown ; I have 
Immortal longings in me. Now no more 280 

The juice of Egypt's grape shall moist this lip. — 
Yare, yare, good Iras ; quick. — Methinks I hear 
Antony call; I see him rouse himself 
To pr-l^e my noble act ; I hear him mock 
The luck of Caesar, which the gods give men 
To excuse their after wrath. — Husband, I come! 
Now to that name my courage prove my title ! 
I am fire and air ; my other elements 
I give to baser life. — So; have you done? 
Come then, and take the last warmth of my lips. — 290 

Farewell, kind Charmian. — Iras, long farewell. 

[Kisses them. Iras falls and dies. 
Have I the aspic in my lips ? Dost fall ? 



ACT V. SCENE II. 143 

If thou and nature can so gently part, 
The stroke of death is as a lover's pinch, 
Which hurts, and is desir'd. Dost thou lie still? 
If thus thou vanishest, thou tell'st the world 
It is not worth leave-taking. 

Charmian. Dissolve, thick cloud, and rain ; that I may say, 
The gods themselves do weep ! 

Cleopatra. This proves me base ; 

If she first meet the curled Antony, 300 

He '11 make demand of her, and spend that kiss 
Which is my heaven to have. — Come, thou mortal wretch, 

[To an asp, which she applies to her breast. 
With thy sharp teeth this knot intrinsicate 
Of life at once untie ; poor venomous fool, 
Be angry, and dispatch. O, couldst thou speak, 
That I might hear thee call great Csesar ass 
Unpolicied ! 

Charmian. O eastern star ! 

Cleopatra. Peace, peace ! 

Dost thou not see my baby at my breast, 
That sucks the nurse asleep ? 

Charmian. O, break ! O, break ! 309 

Cleopatra. As sweet as balm, as soft as air, as gentle, — 

Antony ! — Nay, I will take thee too. — 

[Applying another asp to her arm. 
What should I stay — [Dies. 

Charmia?i. In this wild world? — So, fare thee well. — 
Now boast thee, death, in thy possession lies 
A lass unparallel'd. — Downy windows, close; 
And golden Phcebus never be beheld 
Of eyes again so royal ! — Your crown 's awry; 

1 '11 mend it, and then play — 

Enter the Guard, rushing in. 
1 Guard. Where is the queen ? 



I44 ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 

Charmian. Speak softly, wake her not. 

i Guard. Caesar hath sent — 

Charmian. Too slow a messenger. — 

[Applies an asp. 
O, come apace, dispatch ! I partly feel thee. 321 

1 Guard. Approach, ho! All 's not well; Caesar 's be- 

guil'd. 

2 Guard. There 's Dolabella sent from Caesar; call him. 

1 Guard. What work is here ! — Charmian, is this well 

done? 
Charmian. It is well done, and fitting for a princess 
Descended of so many royal kings. 
Ah, soldier ! [Dies. 

Re-enter Dolabella. 

Dolabella. How goes it here ? 

2 Guard. All dead. 

Dolabella. Caesar, thy thoughts 

Touch their effects in this ; thyself art coming 
To see perform'd the dreaded act which thou 330 

So sought'st to hinder. 

[ Within. 'A way there, a way for Caesar !' 

Re-enter Caesar, and all his train, marching. 

Dolabella. O sir, you are too sure an augurer; 
That you did fear is done. 

Ccesar. Bravest at the last, 

She levell'd at our purposes, and, being royal, 
Took her own way. — The manner of their deaths? 
I do not see them bleed. 

Dolabella. Who was last with them ? 

1 Guard. A simple countryman, that brought her figs • 
This was his basket. 

Ccesar. Poison'd, then. 

1 Guard. O Caesar, 



ACT V. SCENE II I45 

This Charmian liv'd but now; she stood and spake. 

I found her trimming up the diadem 34 o 

On her dead mistress ; tremblingly she stood 

And on the sudden dropp'd. 

Ccesar. O noble weakness ! — 

If they had swallow'd poison, 't would appear 
By external swelling; but she looks like sleep, 
As she would catch another Antony 
In her strong toil of grace. 

Dolabella. Here, on her breast, 

There is a vent of blood and something blown; 
The like is on her arm. 

i Guard. This is an aspic's trail; and these fig-leaves 
Have slime upon them, such as the aspic leaves 350 

Upon the caves of Nile. 

Ccesar. Most probable 

That so she died ; for her physician tells me 
She hath pursued conclusions infinite 
Of easy ways to die. — Take up her bed ; 
And bear her women from the monument. 
She shall be buried by her Antony; 
No grave upon the earth shall clip in it 
A pair so famous. High events as these 
Strike those that make them; and their story is 
No less in pity than his glory which 36o 

Brought them to be lamented. Our army shall 
In solemn show attend this funeral, 
And then to Rome. — Come, Dolabella, see 
High order in this great solemnity. {Exeunt 

K 





pompey's pillar. 



NOTES. 



ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THE NOTES. 

Abbott (or Gr.), Abbott's Shakespearian Grammar (third edition). 
A. S., Anglo-Saxon. 

A. V., Authorized Version of the Bible (1611). 

B. and F., Beaumont and Fletcher. 
B. J., Ben Jonson. 

Camb. ed., " Cambridge edition" of Shakespeare, edited by Clark and Wright. 

Cf. {confer), compare. 

Clarke, " Cassell's Illustrated Shakespeare," edited by Charles and Mary Cowden- 
Clarke (London, n. d.). 

Coll., Collier (second edition). 

Coll. MS., Manuscript Corrections of Second Folio, edited by Collier. 

D., Dyce (second edition). 

H., Hudson ("Harvard" edition). 

Halliwell, J. O. Halliwell (folio ed. of Shakespeare). 

Id. {idem), the same. 

K., Knight (second edition). 

Nares, Glossary, edited by Halliwell and Wright (London, 1859). 

Prol., Prologue. 

S., Shakespeare. 

Schmidt, A. Schmidt's Shakespeare-Lexicon (Berlin, 1874). 

Sr., Singer. 

St., Staunton. 

Theo., Theobald. 

V., Verplanck. 

W., R. Grant White. 

Walker, Wm. Sidney Walker's Critical Examination of the Text of Shakespeare 
(London, i860). 

Warb., Warburton. 

Wb., Webster's Dictionary (revised quarto edition of 1879). 

Wore, Worcester's Dictionary (quarto edition). 

The abbreviations of the names of Shakespeare' s Plays will be readily understood; as 
T. N. for Twelfth Night, Cor. for Coriolanus, 3 Hen. VI. for The Third Part of King 
Henry the Sixth, etc. P. P. refers to The Passionate Pilgrim ; V. and A . to Venus 
and Adonis ; L. C. to Lover's Complaint ; and Sonn. to the Sonnets. 

When the abbreviation of the name of a play is followed by a reference to page, 
Rolfe's edition of the play is meant. 

The numbers of the lines (except for the present play) are those of the "Globe" ed. 
or of the American reprint of that ed. 



NOTES. 




ALEXANDRIA. 



INTRODUCTION. 

The following are the chief passages in North's Plutarch (see p. u 
above) which illustrate the play :* 

" Cicero on the other side, being at that time the chiefest man of au- 
thority and estimation in the city, he stirred up all men against 

i. 4. 56 Antonius : so that in the end he made the senate pronounce him 
' an enemy to his country, and appointed young Caesar sergeants 
to carry axes before him, and such other signs as were incident to the 
dignity of a Consul or Praetor : and moreover, sent Hircius and Pansa, 
then Consuls, to drive Antonius out of Italy. These two Consuls, togeth- 
er with Caesar, who also had an army, went against Antonius that be- 
sieged the city of Modena, and there overthrew him in battle : but both 
the Consuls were slain there. 

* We take these from Shakespeare's Plutarch, edited by Rev. W. W. Skeat, M.A. 
(London, 1875), p. 167 fol. 



lS o NOTES. 

" Antonius, flying upon this overthrow, fell into great misery all at 
once : but the chiefest want of all other, and that pinched him most, was 
famine. Howbeit he was of such a strong nature, that by patience he 
would overcome any adversity : and the heavier fortune lay upon him, 
the more constant shewed he himself. Every man that feeleth want or 
adversity, knoweth by virtue and discretion what he should do : but when 
indeed they are overlaid with extremity, and be sore oppressed, few have 
the hearts to follow that which they praise and commend, and much less 
to avoid that they reprove and mislike : but rather to the contrary, 
they yield to their accustomed easy life, and through faint heart, and lack 
of courage, do change their first mind and purpose. And therefore it 
was a wonderful example to the soldiers, to see Antonius, that was brought 
up in all fineness and superfluity, so easily to drink puddle water, and to 
eat wild fruits and roots : and moreover it is reported, that even as they 
passed the Alps, they did eat the barks of trees, and such beasts as never 
man tasted of their flesh before. . . . 

" Antonius being thus inclined, the last and extremest mischief of all 
other (to wit, the love of Cleopatra) lighted on him, who did waken and 
stir up many vices yet hidden in him, and were never seen to any : and 
if any spark of goodness or hope of rising were left him, Cleopatra, 
quenched it straight, and made it worse than before. The manner how 
he fell in love with her was this. Antonius, going to make war with the 
Parthians, sent to command Cleopatra to appear personally before him 
when he came into Cilicia, to answer unto such accusations as were laid 
against her, being this: that she had aided Cassius and Brutus in their 
war against him. The messenger sent unto Cleopatra, to make this sum- 
mons unto her, was called Dellius ; who when he had throughly con- 
sidered her beauty, the excellent grace and sweetness of her tongue, he 
nothing mistrusted that Antonius would do any hurt to so noble a lady, 
but rather assured himself, that within few days she should be in great 
favour with him. Thereupon he did her great honour, and persuaded 
her to come into Cilicia, as honourably furnished as she could possible ; 
and bad her not to be afraid at all of Antonius, for he was a more cour- 
teous lord than any that she had ever seen. Cleopatra on the other side, 
believing Dellius' words, and guessing by the former access and credit 
she had with Julius Caesar and C. Pompey (the son of Pompey the Great) 
only for her beauty, she began to have good hope that she might more 
easily win Antonius. For Caesar and Pompey knew her when she was 
but a young thing, and knew not then what the world meant: but now 
she went to Antonius at the age when a woman's beauty is at the prime, 
and she also of best judgment. So she furnished herself with a world of 
gifts, store of gold and silver, and of riches and other sumptuous orna- 
ments, as is credible enough she might bring from so great a house, and 
from so wealthy and rich a realm as Egypt was. But yet she carried 
nothing with her wherein she trusted more than in herself, and in the 
charms and enchantment of her passing beauty and grace. 
11 foh 9 ° Therefore, when she was sent unto by divers letters, both from 
Antonius himself and also from his friends, she made so light 
of it, and mocked Antonius so much, that she disdained to set for- 



INTROD UCTION. 



!5i 



ward otherwise, but to take her barge in the river of Cydnus ; the poop 
whereof was of gold, the sails of purple, and the oars of silver, which kept 
stroke in rowing after the sound of the music of flutes, howboys, 1 cith- 
ernes, 2 viols, and such other instruments as they played upon in the 
barge. And now for the person of her self, she was laid under a pavilion 
of cloth of gold of tissue, apparelled and attired like the goddess Venus, 
commonly drawn in picture: and hard by her, on either hand of her, 
pretty fair boys apparelled as painters do set forth god Cupid, with little 
fans in their hands, with the which they fanned wind upon her. Her la- 
dies and gentlewomen also, the fairest of them, were apparelled like the 
nymphs Nereids (which are the mermaids of the waters) and like the 
Graces ; some steering the helm, others tending the tackle and ropes of 
the barge, out of the which there came a wonderful passing sweet savour 
of perfumes, that perfumed the wharf's side, pestered 3 with innumerable 
multitudes of people. Some of them followed the barge all along the 
river-side : others also ran out of the city to see her coming in. So that 
in the end, there ran such multitudes of people one after another to see 
her, that Antonius was left post 4 alone in the market-place, in his impe- 
rial seat, to give audience : and there went a rumour in the people's 
mouths, that the goddess Venus was come to play with the god Bacchus, 
for the general good of all Asia. When Cleopatra landed, Antonius sent 
to invite her to supper to him. But she sent him word again, he should 
do better rather to come and sup with her. Antonius therefore, to shew 
himself courteous unto her at her arrival, was contented to obey her, and 
went to supper to her: where he found such passing sumptuous fare, 
that no tongue can express it. . . . 

"Now Antonius was so ravished with the love of Cleopatra, that 
though his wife Fulvia had great wars, and much ado with Caesar for his 
affairs, and that the army of the Parthians (the which the king's lieuten- 
ants had given to the only 5 leading of Labienus) was now assembled in 
Mesopotamia, ready to invade Syria ; yet (as though all this had nothing 
touched him) he yielded himself to go with Cleopatra unto Alexandria, 
where he spent and lost in childish sports (as a man might say) alid idle 
pastimes, the most precious thing a man can spend (as Antiphon saith), 
and that is, time. For they made an order between them, which they 
called Amimetobion (as much to say, no life comparable and matchable 
with it), one feasting each other by turns, and in cost exceeding all meas- 
ure and reason. And for proof hereof, I have heard my grandfather 
Lampryas report, that one Philotas, a physician, born in the city of Am- 
phissa, told him that he was at that present time in Alexandria, and 
studied physic ; and that having acquaintance with one of Antonius' 
cooks, he took him with him to Antonius' house (being a young man 
desirous to see things), to shew him the wonderful sumptuous charge 
and preparation of one only supper. When he was in the kitchen, and 
saw a world of diversities of meats, and amongst others eight 
u. 2. 183. w -j^ b oars roasted whole, he began to wonder at it, and said : 

1 hautboys. In 2 Hen. IV. iii. 2. 351 (the only instance of the word in S.) the folio has 
" Hoeboy." 2 guitars. . 3 crowded. Cf. Cor. p. 258. 

* posted. Cf. Gr. 341. 5 sole. 



I52 NOTES. 

1 Sure you have a great number of guests to supper.' The cook fell 
a-laughing, and answered him : ' No,' quoth he, * not many guests, nor 
above twelve in all: but yet all that is boiled or roasted must be served 
in whole, or else it would be marred straight : for Antonius peradventure 
will sup presently, or it may be a pretty while hence, or likely enough he 
will defer it longer, for that he hath drunk well today, or else hath had 
some other great matters in hand: and therefore we do not dress one 
supper Only, but many suppers, because we are uncertain of the hour he 
will sup in.' . . . 

" But now again to Cleopatra. Plato writeth that there are four kinds 
of flattery: but Cleopatra divided it into many kinds. For she (were it 
in sport, or in matters of earnest) still devised sundry new delights to 
have Antonius at commandment, never leaving him night nor day, nor 
once letting him go out of her sight. For she would play at dice with 
him, drink with him, and hunt commonly with him, and also be with him. 
when he went to any exercise or activity of body. And sometime also, 
when he would go up and down the city disguised like a slave in 

i- 1- 53- j-hg night, and would peer into poor men's windows and their 
shops, and scold and brawl with them within the house, Cleopatra would 
be also in a chamber-maid's array, and amble up and down the streets 
with him, so that oftentimes Antonius bare away both mocks and blows. 
Now though most men misliked this manner, yet the Alexandrians were 
commonly glad of this jollity, and liked it well, saying very gallantly and 
wisely : ' that Antonius shewed them a comical face, to wit, a merry coun- 
tenance : and the Romans a tragical face, to say, a grim look.' But to 
reckon up all the foolish sports they made, revelling in this sort, it were 
too fond 1 a part of me, and therefore I will only tell you one among the 
rest. On a time he went to angle for fish, and when he could take none, 
he was as angry as could be, because Cleopatra stood by. Wherefore he 
secretly commanded the fishermen, that when he cast in his line, they 
should straight dive under the water, and put a fish on his hook which 
they had taken before : and so snatched up his angling-rod, and brought 
un o fish twice or thrice. Cleopatra found 2 it straight, yet she seemed 
not to see it, but wondered at his excellent fishing : but when she was 
alone by herself among her own people, she told them how it was, and 
bad them the next morning to be on the water to see the fishing. A 
number of people came to the haven, and got into the fisher-boats to 
see this fishing. Antonius then threw in his line, and Cleopatra straight 
commanded one of her men to dive under water before Anto- 

"' 5 ' IS * nius' men, and to put some old salt-fish upon his bait, like unto 
those that are brought out of the country of Pont. When he had hung 
the fish on his hook, Antonius, thinking he had taken a fish indeed, 
snatched up his line presently. 3 Then they all fell a-laughing. Cleo- 
patra laughing also, said unto him : ' Leave us, my lord, Egyptians 
(which dwell in the country of Pharus and Canobus) your angling-rod : 
this is not thy profession, thou must hunt after conquering of realms and 
countries.' 

1 foolish. 2 discovered. 3 at once. Cf. ii. 2. 163, iii. 4. 15, etc. below. 



INTR OD UC TION. 



153 



" Now Antonius delighting in these fond and childish pastimes, very 
ill news were brought him from two places. The first from 
1. 2. 84 R omej that his brother Lucius and Fulvia his wife fell out first 
between themselves, and afterwards fell to open war with Cassar, 
and had brought all to nought, that they were both driven to fly out of 
Italy. The second news, as bad as the first : that Labienus conquered 
all Asia with the army of the Parthians, from the river of Euphrates and 
from Syria unto the country of Lydia and Ionia. Then began Antonius 
with much ado a little to rouse himself, as if he had been wakened out 
of a deep sleep, and, as a man may say, coming out of a great drunken- 
ness. So, first of all he bent himself against the Parthians, and went as 
far as the country of Phoenicia : but there he received lamentable letters 
from his wife Fulvia. Whereupon he straight returned towards Italy, 
with two hundred sail : and as he went, took up his friends by the way 
that fled out of Italy to come to him. By them he was informed, that 
his wife Fulvia was the only cause of this war : who being of a peevish, 
crooked, and troublesome nature, had purposely raised this uproar in 
Italy, in hope thereby to withdraw him from Cleopatra. But by good 
fortune his wife Fulvia, going to meet with Antonius, sickened by the 
way, and died in the city of Sicyon : and therefore Octavius Caesar and 
he were the easilier made friends again. For when Antonius landed 
in Italy, and that men saw Cassar asked nothing of him, and that Anto- 
nius on the other side laid all the fault and burden on his wife Fulvia ; 
the friends of both parties would not suffer them to unrip any old mat- 
ters, and to prove or defend who had the wrong or right, and who was 
the first procurer of this war, fearing to make matters worse 
n. 2. 15 between them : but they made them friends together, and di- 
vided the empire of Rome between them, making the sea Ionium 
the bounds of their division. For they gave all the provinces eastward 
unto Antonius, and the countries westward unto Caesar, and left Africa 
unto Lepidus : and made a law, that they three, Lr?^ after another, 
should make their friends Consuls, when they would not be them- 
selves. This seemed to be a sound counsel, but yet it was to be confirmed 
with a straighter 1 bond, which fortune offered thus. There was Octavia, 
the eldest sister of Caesar, not by one mother, for she came of Ancharia, 
and Caesar himself afterwards of Accia. It is reported, that he dearly 
loved his sister Octavia, for indeed she was a noble lady, and left the 
widow of her first husband Caius Marcellus, who died not long before: 
and it seemed also that Antonius had been widower ever since the death 
of his wife Fulvia. For he denied not that he kept Cleopatra, neither 
did he confess that he had her as his wife : and so with reason he did 
defend the love he bare unto this Egyptian Cleopatra. Thereupon 
every man did set forward this marriage, hoping thereby that this lady 
Octavia, having an excellent grace, wisdom, and honesty, joined unto so 
rare a beauty, when she were with Antonius (he loving her as so worthy 
a lady deserveth) she should be a good mean 2 to keep good love and 
amity betwixt her brother and him. So when Cassar and he had made 

1 stricter. 2 means. See R. and y. p. 189. 



~/^ 



I54 NOTES. 

the match between them, they both went to Rome about this marriage, 
although it was against the law that a widow should be married within 
ten months after her husband's death. Howbeit the senate dispensed 
with the law, and so the marriage proceeded accordingly. 

" Sextus Pompeius at that time kept in Sicilia, and so made many an 
inroad into Italy with a great number of pinnaces and other pirates' ships, 
of the which were captains two notable pirates, Menas and Menecrates, 

.. who so scoured all the sea thereabouts, that none durst peep out 

u " with a sail. Furthermore, Sextus Pompeius had dealt very 
friendly with Antonius, for he had courteously received his mother when 
she fled out of Italy with Fulvia, and therefore they thought good to 
make peace with him. So they met all three together by the mount of 
Misena, upon a hill that runneth far into the sea : Pompey having his 
ships riding hard by at anchor, and Antonius and Caesar their armies 
upon the shore-side, directly over against him. Now, after they had 
agreed that Sextus Pompeius should have Sicily and Sardinia, with this 
condition, that he should rid the sea of all thieves and pirates, and make 
it safe for passengers, and withal, that he should send a certain 1 of wheat 
to Rome, one of them did feast another, and drew cuts 2 who should begin. 
It was Pompeius chance to invite them first. Whereupon Antonius 
asked him: 'And where shall we sup?' 'There,' said Pompey; and 
shewed him his admiral galley which had six banks of oars : 'that,' 
said he, 'is my father's house they have left me.' He spake it to taunt 
Antonius, because he had his father's house, that was Pompey the Great. 
So he cast anchors enow 3 into the sea, to make his galley fast, and then 
built a bridge of wood to convey them to his galley, from the head of 
mount Misena : and there he welcomed them, and made them great cheer. 
Now in the midst of the feast, when they fell to be merry with Antonius' 
love unto Cleopatra, Menas the pirate came to Pompey, and whispering 
in his ear, said unto him : ' Shall I cut the cables of the anchors, and 
make thee lord, wot only of Sicily and Sardinia, but of the whole empire 
cf Rome besides ?' Pompey, having paused a while upon it, at length 
answered him : ' Thou shouldest have done it, and never have told it me ; 
but now we must content us with that we have : as for myself, I was 
never taught to break my faith, nor to be counted a traitor.' The other 
two also did likewise feast him in their camp, and then he returned 
into Sicily. 

" Antonius, after this agreement made, sent Ventidius before into Asia to 
stay the Parthians, and to keep them they should come no further : and 
he himself in the mean time, to gratify Caesar, was contented to be chosen 
Julius Caesar's priest and sacrificer, and so they jointly together dis- 
patched all great matters concerning the state of the empire. But in all 
other manner of sports and exercises, wherein they passed the time away 
the one with the other, Antonius was ever inferior unto Caesar, and 
alway lost, which grieved him much. With Antonius there was_ a sooth- 
sayer or astronomer of Egypt, that could cast a figure, and judge of 

1 a certain quantity. 

2 lots. Cf. C. o/E. v. i. 422 : " We'll draw cuts for the senior." 

3 enough. Cf. i. 4. 11 below. 



INTRODUCTION. 



155 



men's nativities, to tell them what should happen to them. He, either 

to please Cleopatra, or else for that he found it so by his art, told Anto- 

nius plainly, that his fortune (which of itself was excellent good, 

1 ' 3 ' and very great) was altogether blemished and obscured by 
Caesar's fortune : and therefore he counselled him utterly to leave his 
company, and to get him as far from him as he could. ' For thy de- 
mon,' said he, (that is to say, the good angel and spirit that keepeth 
thee) ' is afraid of his : and being courageous and high when he is 
alone, becometh fearful and timorous when he cometh near unto the 
other.' Howsoever it was, the events ensuing proved the Egyptian's 
words true : for it is said, that as often as they two drew cuts for pas- 
time, who should have anything, or whether they played at dice, Anto- 
nius alway lost. Oftentimes when they were disposed to see cock-fight, 
or quails that were taught to fight one with another, Caesar's cocks or 
quails did ever overcome. . . . 

"In the meantime, Ventidius once again overcame Pacorus (Orodes' 
son, king of Parthia) in a battle fought in the country of Cyrrestica, he 
being come again with a great army to invade Syria : at which battle 
was slain a great number of the Parthians, and among them Pacorus, the 
king's own son. This noble exploit, as famous as ever any was, was a full 
revenge to the Romans of the shame and loss they had received before 
by the death of Marcus Crassus: and he made the Parthians 

1U " r " fly, and glad to keep themselves within the confines and territo- 
ries of Mesopotamia and Media, after they had thrice together been over- 
come in several battles. Howbeit Ventidius durst not undertake to fol- 
low them any farther, fearing lest he should have gotten Antonius' dis- 
pleasure by it. Notwithstanding, he led his army against them that had 
rebelled, and conquered them again : amongst whom he besieged Anti- 
ochus king of Commagena, who offered him to give a thousand talents to 
be pardoned his rebellion, and promised ever after to be at Antonius' 
.commandment. But Ventidius made him answer, that he should send" 
unto Antonius ; who was not far off, and would not suffer Ventidius to 
make any peace with Antiochus, to the end that yet this little exploit 
should pass in his name, and that they should not think he did anything 
but by his lieutenant Ventidius. The siege grew very long, because they 
that were in the town, seeing they could not be received upon no reason- 
able composition, determined valiantly to defend themselves to the last 
man. Thus Antonius did nothing, and yet received great shame, repent- 
ing him much that he took not their first offer. And yet at the last he 
was glad to make truce with Antiochus, and to take three hundred tal- 
ents for composition. Thus after he had set order for the state and affairs 
of Syria, he returned again to Athens : and having given Ventidius such 
honours as he deserved, he sent him to Rome, to triumph for the Parthians. 
Ventidius was the only man that ever triumphed of the Parthians until 
this present day, a mean man born, and of no noble house or family : 
who only came to that he attained unto, through Antonius' friendship, 
-the which delivered him happy occasion to achieve great matters. And 
yet to say truly, he did so well quit himself in all his enterprises, that 
he confirmed that which was spoken of Antonius and Caesar, to wit, that 



156 



NOTES. 



they were alway more fortunate when they made war by their lieuten- 
ants than by themselves. For Sossius, one of Antonius' lieutenants in, 
Syria, did notable good service : and Canidius, whom he had also left his 
lieutenant in the borders of Armenia, did conquer it all. So did he also 
overcome the kings of the Iberians and Albanians, and went on with 
his conquests unto mount Caucasus. By these conquests the fame of 
Antonius' power increased more and more, and grew dreadful unto all 
the barbarous nations. 

" But Antonius, notwithstanding, grew to be marvellously offended with 
Caesar, upon certain reports that had been brought unto him, and so took 
sea to go towards Italy with three hundred sail. And because those of 

.j. Brundusium would not receive his army into their haven, he 

1- 4 ' went farther unto Tarentum. There his wife Octavia, that came 
out of Greece with him, besought him to send her unto her brother, the 
which he did. Octavia at that time was great with child, and moreover 
had a second daughter by him, and yet she put herself in journey, and 
met with her brother Octavius Caesar by the way, who brought his two 
chief friends, Maecenas and Agrippa, with him. She took them aside, 
and with all the instance 1 she could possible, intreated them they would 
not suffer her, that was the happiest woman of the world, to become now 
the most wretched and unfortunatest creature of all other. ' For now,' 
said she, ' every man's eyes do gaze on me, that am the sister of one of 
the emperors, and wife of the other. And if the worst counsel take 
place (which the gods forbid) and that they grow to wars : for yourselves, 
it is uncertain to which of them two the gods have assigned the victory 
or overthrow. But for me, on which side soever the victory fall, my 
state can be but most miserable still.' . . . 

" When Octavia was returned to Rome from Athens, Caesar com- 
manded her to go out of Antonius' house, and to dwell by herself, be- 
cause he had abused 2 her. Octavia answered him again, that she would 
not forsake her husband's house, and that if he had no other occasion to 
make war with him, she prayed him then to take no thought for her : 
' For,' said she, ' it were too shameful a thing, that two so famous 
captains should bring in civil wars among the Romans, the one for the 
love of a woman, and the other for the jealousy betwixt one another.' 
Now as she spake the word, so did she also perform the deed : for she 
kept still in Antonius' house, as if he had been there, and very honestly 
and honourably kept his children, not only those she had by him, but 
the other which her husband had by Fulvia. Furthermore, when Anto- 
nius sent any of his men to Rome, to sue for any office in the common- 
wealth, she received them very courteously, and so used herself unto her 
brother, that she obtained the things she requested. Howbeit thereby, 
thinking no hurt, she did Antonius great hurt. For her honest love and 
regard to her husband made every man hate him, when they saw he did 
so unkindly use so noble a lady : but the greatest cause of their malice 
... unto him was for the division of lands he made among his 

children in the city of Alexandria. And, to confess a troth, 3 it 

1 urgency. 2 deceived. See Ham. p. 215, or Oth. p. 158. 

3 truth. See 71/. N. D. p. 151. 



INTRODUCTION. 



157 




was too arrogant and insolent a part, and done (as a man would say) in 
derision and contempt of the Romans. For he assembled all the people 
in the showplace, where young men do exercise themselves, and there, 
upon a high tribunal silvered, he set two chairs of gold, the one for 
himself, and the other for Cleopatra, and lower chairs for his children ; 
then he openly published before the assembly, that first of all he did 
establish Cleopatra queen of Egypt, of Cyprus, of Lydia, and of the lower 
Syria ; and at that time also Csesarion king of the same realms. This 
Caesarion was supposed to be the son of Julius Caesar, who had left 
Cleopatra great with child. Secondly, he called the sons he had by her 
the kings of kings, and gave Alexander for his. portion Armenia, Media, 
and Parthia, when he had conquered the country; and unto Ptolemy for 
his portion Phoenicia, Syria, and Cilicia. And therewithal he brought 
out Alexander in a long gown after the fashion of the Medes with a 
high cop-tank 1 hat on his head, narrow in the top, as the kings of the 
Medes and Armenians do use to wear them: and Ptolemy apparelled in 
a cloak after the Macedonian manner, with slippers on his feet and a 
broad hat, with a royal band or diadem. Such was the apparel and old at- 
tire of the ancient kings and successors of Alexander the Great. So after 
his sons had done their humble duties, and kissed their father and mother, 
presently a company of Armenian soldiers, set there of purpose, com- 
passed the one about, and a like company of Macedonians the other. 
Now for Cleopatra, she did not only wear at that time (but at all other 
times else when she came abroad) the apparel of the goddess Isis, and 
so gave audience unto all her subjects, as a new Isis. 

" Octavius Caesar reporting all these things unto the Senate, and often- 
times accusing him to the whole people and assembly in Rome, he there- 
by stirred up all the Romans against him. Antonius on the other side 
sent to Rome likewise to accuse him, and the chiefest points of his 
accusations he charged him with were these. First, that having spoiled 
Sextus Pompeius in Sicily, he did not give him his part of the ile. 
Secondly, that he did detain in his hands the ships he lent him to make 
that war. Thirdly, that having put Lepidus their companion and trium- 
virate 2 out of his part of the empire, and having deprived him of all 
honours, he retained for himself the lands and revenues thereof, which 
had been assigned unto him for his part. And last of all, that he had in 
manner divided all Italy amongst his own soldiers, and had left no part 
of it for his soldiers. Octavius Caesar answered him again : that for 3 
Lepidus, he had indeed deposed him, and taken his part of the empire 
from him, because he did over cruelly use his authority. And secondly, 
for 3 the conquests he had made by force of arms, he was contented 
Antonius should have his part of them, so that he would likewise let him 
have his part of Armenia. And thirdly, that for 3 his soldiers, they should 
seek for nothing in Italy, because they possessed Media and Parthia, the 
which provinces they had added to the empire of Rome, valiantly fight- 
ing with their emperor and Captain. . . . 

1 conical. Cf. T. ofS. p. 167, note on A copatain hat. 

2 sic ; for triumvir. 3 as for. Cf. iii. 13. 51 below. 



i58 



NOTES. 



" Now after that Caesar had made sufficient preparation, he proclaimed 
open war against Cleopatra, and made the people to abolish the power and 
empire of Antonius, because he had before given it up unto a 
- 7 * woman. And Caesar said furthermore, that Antonius was not 
master of himself, but that Cleopatra had brought him beside himself by 
her charms and amorous poisons : and that they, that should make war 
with them, should be Mardian the eunuch, Photinus, and Iras (a woman 
of Cleopatra's bed-chamber, that frizzled her hair, and dressed her head) 
and Charmion, the which were those that ruled all the affairs of An- 
tonius' empire. 

" Before this war, as it is reported, many signs and wonders fell out. 

. . . The admiral-galley of Cleopatra was called Antoniad, in the which 

there chanced a marvellous ill sign : swallows had bred under 

v. 12. 4. t ^ e p 0Q p Q f k er ghjp^ an( j there came others after them that 

drave away the first, and plucked down their nests. 

" Now when all things were ready, and that they drew near to fight, it 
was found, that Antonius had no less than 500 good ships of war, 
among which there were many galleys that had eight and ten banks of 
oars, the which were sumptuously furnished, not so meet for fight as for 
triumph : an hundred thousand footmen, and 12,000 horsemen ; and had 
with him to aid him- these kings and subjects following :' Bocchus king 
... of Lybia, Tarcondemus king of high Cilicia, Archelaus king 

IU " ' of Cappadocia, Philadelphus king of Paphlagonia, Mithridates 
king of Comagena, and Adallas king of Thracia. All which were there, 
every man in person. The residue that were absent, sent their armies : 
as Polemon king of Pont, Manchus king of Arabia, Herodes king of 
Jewry ; and furthermore Amyntas king of Lycaonia and of the Galatians : 
and besides all these, he had all the aid the king of Medes sent unto him. 
Now for Caesar, he had 250 ships of war, 80,000 footmen, and well near 
as many horsemen as his enemy Antonius. Antonius for his part had 
all under his dominion from Armenia and the river of Euphrates, unto 
the sea Ionium and Illyricum. Octavius Caesar had also, for his part, 
all that which was in our hemisphere or half-part of the world, from 
Illyria unto the ocean sea upon the west : then all from the ocean unto 
mare Siculum : and from Africa, all that which is against Italy, as 
Gaul and Spain. Furthermore, all, from the province of Cyrenia to Ethi- 
opia, was subject unto Antonius. Now Antonius was made so subject to a 
woman's will, that though he was a great deal the stronger by land, yet 
for Cleopatra's sake he would needs have this battle trjed by sea : though 
he saw before his eyes, that for lack of water-men his captains did prest 1 
by force all sorts of men out of Greece that they could take up in the 
field, as travellers, muleteers, reapers, harvest-men, and young 
in- 7- 32. k y S . an( j y et cou i^ they no t; sufficiently furnish his galleys : so 
that the most part of them were empty, and could scant row, because 
they lacked water-men enough. But on the contrary side, Caesar's ships 
were not built for pomp, high and great, only for a sight and bravery, 2 
but they were light of yarage, 8 armed and furnished with water -men as 

1 impress. 2 show. Cf. Ham. p. 270. 

3 management. Cf. yare in iii. 7. 35, etc., below. 



INTRODUCTION. 1 59 

?mmmm$ 

rpt^'caMT^befo^ AntonL understood that he had taken 
5h >?So when Antonius had determined to fight by sea, he set all the other 

Ul.J-47. Co them he Put two and twenty thousand fightmg men, wtth 
two thousand Srsand dinger.. Now as he was settrng h,s men „ 

land, where we use to conquer or to be ta^« M ith his 
indeed he had no great courage himself. ... douotful, 

- IO - Seen Placed behhid the great ships, and did marvellously dis- 
of an emperor, but also of a valiant man ; and that he was n 

when he saw Cleopatra's ship ™,°er safi'he ™ f$ '"^ five banks 

Mir^ws a sssw - Srow hi - and 

woul d in the end be his utter d estruct ion _ 

i hoisting. See Rich. III. V- z^., 

2 midst. The early eds. have nuddest in 2 //*». *Y. iv. 8. 64. 



t6o notes. 

" Then Antonius sent unto Canidius, to return with his army into Asia 

by Macedon. Now for himself, he determined to cross over into Africa, 

and took one of his carects 1 or hulks loden 2 with gold and silver, and 

other rich carriage, 3 and gave it unto his friends, commanding 

m ' Ir * them to depart, and seek to save themselves. They answered 
him weeping, that they would neither do it, nor yet forsake him. 
Then Antonius very courteously and lovingly did comfort them, and 
prayed them to depart ; and wrote unto Theophilus, governor of Cor- 
inth, that he would see them safe, and help to hide them in some secret 
place, until they had made their way and peace with Caesar. . . . 

"But now to return to Antonius again. Canidius himself came to 
bring him news, that he had lost all his army by land at Actium : on the 
other side he was advertised also, that Herodes king of Jurie, who had 
also certain legions and bands with him, was revolted unto Caesar, and 
all the other kings in like manner : so that, saving those that were about 
him, he had none left him. All this notwithstanding did nothing trouble 
him : and it seemed that he was contented to forgo all his hope, and so 
to be rid of all his cares and troubles. Thereupon he left his solitary 
house he had built by the sea, which he called Timoneon, and Cleopatra 
received him into her royal palace. He was no sooner come thither, but 
he straight set all the city on rioting and banqueting again, and himself 
to liberality and gifts. He caused the son of Julius Caesar and Cleopatra 
to be enrolled (according to the manner of the Romans) amongst the 
number of young men : and gave Antyllus, his eldest son he had by 
Fulvia, the man's gown, the which was a plain gown without gard 4 or 
embroderie, of purple. For these things, there was kept great feasting, 
banqueting and dancing in Alexandria many days together. . . . 

" Cleopatra in the meantime was very careful 5 in gathering all sorts of 
poisons together., to destroy men. Now to make proof of those poisons 
wliich made men die with least pain, she tried it upon condemned 
v. 2. 5 j2. men j n p r j son> jr or w h en s he saw the poisons that Were sud- 
den and vehement, and brought speedy death with grievous torments ; 
and in contrary manner, that such as were more mild and gentle had not 
that quick speed and force to make one die suddenly : she afterwards 
went about to prove 6 the stinging of snakes and adders, and made some 
to be applied unto men in her sight, some in one sort, some in another. 
So when she had daily made divers and sundry proofs, she found none 
of them all she had proved so fit as the biting of an aspick, the which 
causeth only a heaviness of the head, without swooning or complaining, 
and bringeth a great desire also to sleep, with a little sweat in the face ; 
and so by little and little taketh away the senses and vital powers, no 
living creature perceiving that the patients feel any pain. For they are 
so sorry when any body awaketh them and taketh them up, as those that 
be taken out of a sound sleep are very heavy and desirous to sleep. 

" This notwithstanding, they sent ambassadors unto Octavius Caesar in 



1 ships of burden. Cf. C. of E. p. 130, note on Armadoes of caracks. 

2 laden. S. uses loaden interchangeably with laden. See 1 Hen. IV. p. 140. 

3 stores. Cf. Temp. v. 1. 3 and M. fV. ii. 2. 179. 4 edging. 

5 industrious. 6 test. Cf. Cymb. \. 5. 3 8 > etc 



INTR OD UC TION. 1 6 1 

Asia, Cleopatra requesting the realm of Egypt for their children, and 
Antonius praying that he might be suffered to live at Athens 

m " I2, like a private man, if Caesar would not let him remain in Egypt. 
And because they had no other men of estimation about them, for that 
some were fled, and those that remained they did not greatly trust, 
they were enforced to send Euphronius, the schoolmaster of their chil- 
dren. For Alexas Laodicean, who was brought into Antonius' house 
and favour by means of Timagenes, and afterwards was in greater credit 
with him than any other Grecian (for that he had ever been one of Cleo- 
patra's ministers to win Antonius, and to overthrow all his good deter- 
minations to use his wife Octavia well) : him Antonius had sent unto 
Herodes king of Jurie, hoping still to keep him his friend, that he should 
not revolt from him. But he remained there, and betrayed Antonius. 
For where he should have kept Herodes from revolting from him, he 
persuaded him to turn to Caesar : and trusting king Herodes, he pre- 
sumed to come in Caesar's presence. Howbeit Herodes did him no 
pleasure, for he was presently taken prisoner, and sent in chains to his 
own country, and there by Caesar's commandment put to death. Thus 
was Alexas, in Antonius' life-time, put to death for betraying of him. 
Furthermore, Caesar would not grant unto Antonius' requests : but for 
Cleopatra, he made her answer, that he would deny her nothing reason- 
able, so that she would either put Antonius to death, or drive him out 
of her country. Therewithal he sent Thyreus one of his men unto her, a 
very wise and discreet man : who bringing letters of credit from a young 
lord unto a noble lady, and that besides greatly liked her beauty, 
might easily by his eloquence have persuaded her. He was 

in- 13- i on g er j n t a p c w ith her than any man else was, and the queen 
herself also did him great honour: insomuch as he made Antonius jeal- 
ous of him. Whereupon Antonius caused him to be taken and well- 
favouredly 1 whipped, and so sent him unto Caesar : and bad hi'.s f ell him, 
that he made him angry with him, because he shewed himself proud and 
disdainful towards him ; and now specially, when he was easy to be an- 
gered, by reason of his present misery. 'To be short, if this mislike 
thee,' said he, 'thou hast Hipparchus, one of my enfranchised bondmen, 
with thee : hang him if thou wilt, or whip him at thy pleasure, that we 
may cry quittance.' From henceforth Cleopatra, to clear herself of the 
suspicion he had of her, made more of him then ever she did. For 
first of all, where 2 she did solemnize the day of her birth very meanly and 
sparingly, fit for her present misfortune, she now in contrary manner did 
keep it with such solemnity, that she exceeded all measure of sumptuous- 
ness and magnificence : so that the guests that were bidden to the feasts, 
and came poor, went away rich. Now things passing thus, Agrippa by 
divers letters sent one after another unto Caesar, prayed him to return to 
Rome, because the affairs there did of necessity require his person and 
presence. Thereupon he did defer the war till the next year following : 
but when winter was done, he returned again through Syria by the coast 
of Africa, to make wars against Antonius and his other captains. When 

1 soundly. 2 whereas. See Lear, p. 179. 



162 NOTES. 

the city of Pelusium was taken, there ran a rumour in the city, that 
Seleucus (by Cleopatra's consent) had surrendered the same. But to 
clear herself that she did not, Cleopatra brought Seleucus' wife and chil- 
dren unto Antonius, to be revenged of them at his pleasure. Further- 
more, Cleopatra had long before made many sumptuous tombs and 
monuments, as well for excellency of workmanship, as for height and 
greatness of building, joining hard to the temple of Isis. Thither she 
caused to be brought all the treasure and precious things she had of the 
ancient kings her predecessors : as gold, silver, emeralds, pearls, ebony, 
ivory, and cinnamon, and besides all that, a marvellous number of torches, 
faggots, and flax. So Octavius Caesar, being afraid to lose such a treas- 
ure and mass of riches, and that this woman for spite would set it on fire 
and burn it every whit, he always sent some one or other unto her from 
him, to put her in good comfort, whilst he in the meantime drew near the 
city with his army. So Caesar came and pitched his camp hard by the 
city, in the place where they run and manage their horses. Antonius 
made a sally upon him, and fought very valiantly, so that he drave 
Caesars horsemen back, fighting with his men even into then- 
camp. Then he came again to the palace, greatly boasting of 
this victory, and sweetly kissed Cleopatra, armed as he was when he 
came from the fight, recommending one of his men of arms unto her, 
that had valiantly fought in this skirmish. Cleopatra, to reward his 
manliness, gave him an armour and headpiece of clean 1 gold : howbeit 
the man-at-arms, when he had received this rich gift, stole away by night 
and went to Caesar. Antonius sent again to challenge Caesar to fight 
with him hand tx> hand. Caesar answered him, 'That he had many 
other ways to die than so.' Then Antonius, seeing there was no way 
more honourable for him to die than fighting valiantly, he determined to 
set up his rest. 2 both by sea and land. So being at supper (as it is re- 
ported) he commanded his officers and household servants that waited 
. on him at his board, that they should fill his cups full, and make 

as much of him as they could : ' For,' said he, ' you know not 
whether you shall do so much for me to-morrow*or not, or whether you 
shall serve another master: and it may be you shall see me no more, 
but a dead body.' This notwithstanding, perceiving that his friends and 
men fell a-weeping to hear him say so, to salve that he had spoken, he 
added this more unto it, ' that he would not lead them to battle, where 
he thought not rather safely to return with victory, than valiantly to die 
with honour.' Furthermore, the self-same night, within a little of mid- 
night, when all the city was quiet, full of fear and sorrow, thinking what 
would be the issue and end of this war, it is said that suddenly they 
• heard a marvellous sweet harmony of sundry sorts of instru- 

ments of music, with the cry of a multitude of people, as they 
had been dancing, and had sung as they use in Bacchus' feasts, with 
movings and turnings after the manner of the Satyrs : and it seemed, 
that this dance went through the city unto the gate that opened to the 
enemies, and that all the troupe, that made this noise they heard, went 

1 pure. 2 make a stand. See M. of V. p. 139, or R. and J. p. 215. 



INTR 01) UC TION. 



163 



out of the city at that gate. Now such as in reason sought the depth of 
the interpretation of this wonder, thought that it was the god unto whom 
Antonius bare singular devotion to counterfeit and resemble him, that 
did forsake them. The next morning by break of clay, he went to set 
those few footmen he had in order upon the hills adjoining unto the city : 
and there he stood to behold his galleys which departed from 

1V ' IO * the haven, and rowed against the galleys of the enemies, and so 
stood still, looking what exploits his soldiers in them would do. But 
when by force of rowing they were come near unto them, they first saluted 
Caesar's men ; and then Caesar's men resaluted them also, and of two 
armies made but one : and then did all together row toward the city. 

" When Antonius saw that his men did forsake him, and yielded unto 
Caesar, and that his footmen were broken and overthrown, he then fled 
into the city, crying out that Cleopatra had betrayed him unto them with 
whom he had made war for her sake. Then she, being afraid of his fury, 
fled into the tomb which he had caused to be made, and there she locked 
the doors unto her, and shut all the springs of the locks with 

1V - I3- great bolts, and in the meantime sent unto Antonius to tell 
him that she was dead. Antonius believing it, said unto himself: 
'What doest thou look for further, Antonius, sith 1 spiteful fortune hath 
taken from thee the only joy thou hadst, for whom thou yet reservedst 
thy life?' When he had said these words, he went into a chamber and 
unarmed himself, and being naked, 2 said thus : ' O Cleopatra, it grieveth 
me not that I have lost thy company, for I will not be long from thee : 
but I am sorry that, having been so great a captain and emperor, I am 
indeed condemned to be judged of less courage and noble mind than a 
woman.' Now he had a man of his called Eros, whom he loved and 
trusted much, and whom he had long before caused to swear unto him, 
that he should kill him when he did command him : and then he 

iv- 14 ' willed him to keep his promise. His man, drawing his sword, 
lift 3 it up as though he had meant to have stricken his master: but turn- 
ing his head at one side, he thrust his sword into himself, and fell down 
dead at his master's foot. Then said Antonius : 'O noble Eros, I thank 
thee for this, and it is valiantly done of thee, to shew me what I should 
do to myself, which thou couldest not do for me.' Therewithal he took 
his sword, and thrust it into his belly, and so fell down upon a little bed. 
The wound he had killed him not presently, 4 for the blood stinted 5 a little 
when he was laid : and when he came somewhat to himself again, he 
prayed them that were about him to despatch him. But they aH fled out 
of the chamber, and left him crying out, tormenting himself: until at last 
there came a secretary unto him (called Diomedes) who was commanded 
to bring him into the tomb or monument where Cleopatra was. When 
he heard that she was alive, he very earnestly prayed his men to carry 
his body thither, and so he was carried in his men's arms into the entry 
of the monument. Notwithstanding, Cleopatra would not open the gates, 



1 since. See Ham. p. 201, or Gr. 132. 2 without arms. Cf. Oth. v. 2. 258, etc. 

3 lifted. Cf. Cor. p. 192, foot-note. * at once - 

5 ceased. 



1 64 NOTES. 

but came to the high windows, and cast out certain chains and ropes, in 
the which Antonius was trussed 1 : and Cleopatra her own self, 
with two women only, which she had suffered to come with her 
into these monuments, trised 2 Antonius up. They that were present to 
behold it said they never saw so pitiful a sight. For they plucked up poor 
Antonius, all bloody as he was, and drawing on with pangs of death : who 
holding up his hands to Cleopatra, raised up himself as well as he could. 
It was a hard thing for these women to do, to lift him up : but Cleopatra, 
stooping down with her head, putting to all her strength to her utter- 
most power, did lift him up with much ado, and never let go her hold, 
with the help of the women beneath that bad her be of good courage, and 
were as sorry to see her labour so as she herself. So when she had got- 
ten him in after that sort, and laid him on a bed, she rent her garments 
upon him, clapping her breast, and scratching her face and stomach. 
Then she dried up his blood that had bewrayed 3 his face, and called him 
her lord, her husband, and emperor, forgetting her own misery and ca- 
lamity for the pity and compassion she took of him. Antonius made her 
cease her lamenting, and called for wine, either because he was athirst, 
or else for that he thought thereby to hasten his death. When he had 
drunk, he earnestly prayed her, and persuaded her, that she would seek 
to save her life, if she could possible, without reproach and dishonour : 
and that chiefly she should trust Proculeius above any man else about 
Caesar. And as for himself, that she should not lament nor sorrow for 
the miserable change of his fortune at the end of his days : but rather 
that she should think him the more fortunate, for the former triumphs 
and honours he had received ; considering that while he lived, he was the 
noblest and greatest prince of the world ; and that now he was over- 
t come, not cowardly, but valiantly, a Roman by another Roman. 
As Antonius gave the last gasp, Proculeius came that was sent 
from Caesar. For after Antonius had thrust his sword in himself, as they 
carried him into the tombs and monuments of Cleopatra, one of his 
guard (called Dercetaeus) took his sword with which he had stricken 
himself, and hid it : then he secretly stole away, and brought Octavius 
Caesar the first news of his death, and shewed him his sword that was 
bloodied. Caesar hearing this news, straight withdrew himself into a 
secret place of his tent, and there burst out with tears, lamenting his hard 
and miserable fortune, that had been his friend and brother-in-law, his 
equal in the empire, and companion with him in sundry great exploits 
and battles. Then he called for all his friends and shewed them the let- 
ters Antonius had written to him, and his answers also sent him again, 
during their quarrel and strife : and how fiercely and proudly the other 
answered him, to all just and reasonable matters he wrote unto him. 

" After this, he sent Proculeius, and commanded him to do what he 
could possible to get Cleopatra alive, fearing lest otherwise all the 
treasure would be lost : and furthermore, he thought that if he could 

i wound. 2 d rew . 

3 berayed, disfigured. Cf. rayed in T. of S. iii. 2. 54 and iv. 1. 3 ; and see our ed. 
p. 150. 



i- 



INTRO D UCTION. 1 65 

take Cleopatra, and bring her alive to Rome, she would marvellously 
beautify and set out his triumph. But Cleopatra would never 
put herself into Proculeius' hands, although they spake together. 
For Proculeius came to the gates that were thick and strong, and surely 
barred, but yet there were some cranewes 1 through the which her voice 
might be heard ; and so they without understood, that Cleopatra de- 
manded the kingdom of Egypt for her sons : and that Proculeius an- 
swered her that she should be of good cheer, and not be afraid to refer 
all unto Caesar. After he had viewed the place very well, he came and 
reported her answer unto Caesar: who immediately sent Gallus to speak 
once again with her, and bad him purposely hold her in talk, whilst Pro- 
culeius did set up a ladder against that high window by the which An- 
tonius was trised 2 up, and came down into the monument with two of his 
men, hard by the gate where Cleopatra stood to hear what Gallus said 
unto her. One of her women which was shut up in her monuments with 
her, saw Proculeius by chance as he came down, and skreeked 3 out : ' O 
poor Cleopatra, thou art taken.' Then when she saw Proculeius behind 
her as she came from the gate, she thought to have stabbed herself in 
with a short dagger she wore of purpose by her side. But Proculeius 
came suddenly upon her, and taking her by both the hands, said unto her : 
.' Cleopatra, first thou shalt do thyself great wrong, and secondly unto 
Caesar, to deprive him of the occasion and opportunity openly to shew 
his bounty and mercy, and to give his enemies cause to accuse the most 
courteous and noble prince that ever was, and to appeach 4 him, as 
though he were a cruel and merciless man, that were not to be trusted.' 
So even as he spake the word, he took her dagger from her, and shook 
her clothes for fear of any poison hidden about her. . . . 

" Shortly after, Caesar came himself in person to see her, and to comfort 
her. Cleopatra, being laid upon a little low bed in poor estate (when she 
saw Caesar come into her chamber), suddenly rose, up, naked in 
2 ' IIX " her smock, and fell down at his feet marvellously disfigured: 
both for that she had plucked her hair from her head, as also for that she 
had martyred all her face with her nails ; and besides, her voice was small 
and trembling, her eyes sunk into her head with continual blubbering 5 ; 
and moreover, they might see the most part of her stomach torn in sun- 
der. To be short, her body was not much better than her mind : yet her 
good grace and comeliness and the force of her beauty was not altogether 
defaced. But notwithstanding this ugly and pitiful state of hers, yet she 
shewed herself within, by her outward looks and countenance. When 
Caesar had made her lie down again, and sat by her bedside, Cleopatra 
began to clear and excuse herself for that she had done, laying all to the 
fear she had of Antonius : Caesar, in contrary manner, reproved her in 
every point. Then she suddenly altered her speech, and prayed him to 
pardon her, as though she were afraid to die, and desirous to 
v. 2. 140 jj ve> A t length, she gave him a brief and memorial of all the 
' ready money and treasure she had. But by chance there stood 

1 crannies. 2 drawn. See p. 164 above. 3 shrieked. 

4 impeach, accuse. See Rich. II. p. 212. 5 crying. Cf. R. and J. iii. 3. 87. 



X 66 NOTES. 

one Seleucus by, one of her treasurers, who, to seem a good servant, 
c?me straight to Caesar to disprove Cleopatra, that she had not set in 
all, but kept many things back of purpose. Cleopatra was in such a 
rage with him, that she flew upon him, and took him by the hair of the 
head, and boxed him well-favouredly 1 . Caesar fell a-laughing and parted 
the fray. 'Alas,' said she, 'O Caesar: is not this a great shame and 
reproach, that thou having vouchsafed to take the pains to come unto 
me, and done me this honour, poor wretch and caitiff 2 creature, brought 
into this pitiful and miserable state : and that mine own servants should 
come now to accuse me ? though it may be I have reserved some jewels 
and trifles meet for women, but not for me (poor soul) to set out myself 
withal, but meaning to give some pretty presents and gifts unto Octavia 
and Livia, that they, making means and intercession for me to thee, thou 
mightest yet extend thy favour and mercy upon me.' Caesar was glad to 
hear her say so, persuading himself thereby that she had yet a desire to 
save her life. So he made her answer, that he did not only give her that 
to dispose of at her pleasure which she had kept back, but further prom- 
ised to use her more honourably and bountifully than she would think for: 
and so he took his leave of her, supposing he had deceived her, but indeed 
he was deceived himself. There was a young gentleman, Cornelius Dola- 
bella, that was one of Caesar's very great familiars, and besides did bear 

no ill will unto Cleopatra. He sent her word secretly (as she 
V ' fol! 97 ^ a d requested him) that Caesar determined to take his journey 

through Syria, and that within three days he would send her 
away before with her children. When this was told Cleopatra, she re- 
quested Caesar that it would please him to suffer her to offer the last ob- 
lations of the dead unto the soul of Antonius. This being granted her, 
she was carried to the place where his tomb was, and there falling down 
on her knees, embracing the tomb with her women, the tears running 
down her cheeks, she began to speak in this sort : ' O my dear lord 
Antonius, it is not long sithence 3 I buried thee here, being a free woman : 
and now I offer unto thee the funeral sprinklings and oblations, being a 
captive and prisoner ; and yet I am forbidden and kept from tearing and 
murdering this captive body of mine with blows, which they carefully 
guard and keep only to triumph of thee : look therefore henceforth for no 
other honours, offerings, nor sacrifices from me : for these are the last 
which Cleopatra can give thee, sith now they carry her away. Whilst 
we lived together, nothing could sever our companies : but now, at our 
death, I fear me they will make us change our countries. For as thou, 
being a Roman, hast been buried in Egypt: even so, wretched creature, 
I, an Egyptian, shall be buried in Italy, which shall be all the good that I 
have received by thy country. If therefore the gods where thou art now 
have any power and authority, sith our gods here have forsaken us, suffer 
not thy true friend and lover to be carried away alive, that in me they 
triumph of thee : but receive me with thee, and let me be buried in one 
self 4 tomb with thee. For though my griefs and miseries be infinite, yet 

1 beat him soundly. Cf. p. 161 above. 2 wretched. See Oth. p. 197. 

3 since. See Cor. p. 236. For sith just below, see p. 163 above. 

4 same- See C. of E. p. 143, or Gr. 20. 



INTRODUCTION. 167 

none hath grieved me more, nor that I could less bear withal, than this 
small time which I have been driven to live alone without thee-' 

"Then having ended these doleful plaints, and crowned the torubwilh 
garlands and sundry nosegays, and marvellous lovingly embraced the 
same, she commanded they should prepare her bath ; and when she had 
bathed and washed herself, she fell to her meat, and was sumptuously 

served. Now whilst she was at dinner, there came a country - 
' 241 " man and brought her a basket. The soldiers that warded 1 at 
the gates, asked him straight what he had in his basket. He opened his 
basket, and took out the leaves that covered the figs, and shewed them 
that they were figs he brought. They all of them marvelled to see so 
goodly figs. The countryman laughed to hear them, and bade them take 
some if they would. They believed he told them truly, and so bade him 
carry them in. After Cleopatra had dined, she sent a certain table 2 writ- 
ten and sealed unto Caesar, and commanded them all to go out of the 
tombs where she was, but the two women ; then she shut the doors to 
her. Caesar, when he had received this table, and began to read her 
lamentation and petition, requesting him that he would let her be buried 
with Antonius, found straight what she meant, and thought to have gone 
thither himself: howbeit, he sent one before in all haste that might be, to 
see what it was. Her death was very sudden : for those whom Caesar 
sent unto her ran thither in all haste possible, and found the soldiers 
standing at the gate, mistrusting nothing, nor understanding of her death. 
But when they had opened the doors, they found Cleopatra stark-dead, 
laid upon a bed of gold, attired and arrayed in her royal robes, and one 
of her two women, which was called Iras, dead at her feet : and her other 
woman (called Charmion) half dead, and trembling, trimming the diadem 

which Cleopatra wore upon her head. One of the soldiers see- 
2-324- m g j iei ^ an g r ijy said U nto her: ' Is that well done, Charmion?' 
{ Very well,' said she again, ' and meet for a princess descended from 
the race of so many noble kings :' she said no more, but fell down dead 
hard by the bed. Some report that this aspick was brought unto her in 
the basket with figs, and that she had commanded them to hide it under 
the fig-leaves, that when she should think to take out the figs, the aspick 
should bite her before she should see her : howbeit, that when she would 
have taken away the leaves for the figs, she perceived it, and said, ' Art 
thou here, then?' And so, her arm being naked, she put it to the aspick 
to be bitten. Others say again, she kept it in a box, and that she did 
prick and thrust it with a spindle of gold, so that the aspick, being angered 
withal, leapt out with great fury, and bit her in the arm. Howbeit few 
can tell the troth 3 . For they report also, that she had hidden poison in 
a hollow razor which she carried in the hair of her head ; and yet was 
there no mark seen on her body, or any sign discerned that she was 
poisoned, neither also did they find this serpent in her tomb : but it was 
reported only, that there was seen certain fresh steps or tracks where it 
had gone, on the tomb-side toward the sea, and specially by the door-side. 
Some say also that they found two little pretty 4 bitings in her arm, scant 

1 watched. 2 tablet, letter. See Cymb. p. 189. 

3 truth. See p. 156 above. 4 minute. Cf. v. 2. 243 below. 



1 68 NOTES. 

to be discerned : the which it seeraeth Caesar himself gave credit unto, 
because Ik his triumph he carried Cleopatra's image, with an aspick bit- 
ing of her arm. And thus goeth the report of her death. Now Caesar, 
though he was marvellous sorry for the death of Cleopatra, yet he won- 
dered at her noble mind and courage, and therefore commanded she 
should be nobly buried, and laid by Antonius : and willed also that her 
two women should have honourable burial." 



ACT I. 

Scene I. — i. General's. The ist folio has "generals," the later folios 
"generall" or "general." Cf. K. John, ii. I. 65: "a bastard of the 
king's deceas'd," etc. See also i. 2. 166 below. 

4. Plated. Cf. Rich. II. i. 3. 28 : " Thus plated in habiliments of war." 

5. Office. "Dedicated service" (Clarke). 

8. Reneges. Denies, disclaims ; as in Lear, ii. 2. 84 : " Renege, affirm," 
etc. See our ed. p. 203. Coleridge would spell the word " reneagues," 
as it was pronounced. The quartos of Lear have " Reneag," and W. 
reads " reneags " here. 

10. To cool. Johnson, not seeing that the bellows and the fan were 
both meant to cool, would read "To kindle and to cool a gypsy's lust." 
Malone quotes Spenser, F. Q. ii. 9. 3c : 

"An huge great payre of bellowes, which did styre 
Continually, and cooling breath inspyre." 

For the contemptuous use of gypsy, cf. R. and J. ii. 4. 44: " Dido a dow- 
dy; Cleopatra a gypsy." See also iv. 12. 28 below. 

12. Trifle. Third; as one of the triumvirate. Cf. A. W. ii. 1. n 1 : 

"Which, as the dearest issue of his practice, 
And of his old experience the only darling, 
He bade me store up, as a triple eye, 
Safer than mine own two, more dear." 

15. There f s beggary, etc. Cf. R. and J. ii. 6. 32 : " They are but beg- 
gars who can count their worth." Steevens quotes Martial, vi. 36 : 
" Basia pauca cupit, qui numerare potest ;" and Ovid, Met. xiii. : " Pau- 
peris est numerare pecus," which Golding translates : " Tush ! beggars 
of their cattel use the numbers for to know." 

17. Then must thou needs, etc. "Thou must set the boundary of my 
love at a greater distance than the present visible universe affords " 
(Johnson). 

18. Grates me; the sum. It grates upon my ear, it vexes me; so be 
brief. The 2d folio has " Rate me, the sumrae;" and Rowe reads "Rate 
me the sum." Pope has " It grates me. Tell the sum." 

19. Them. Changed by Pope to "it ;" but S. makes news both singu- 
lar and plural. Cf. iii. 7. 51 below : " The news is true." See Much Ado, 
p. 125, or Rich. II. p. 198 (note on Odds). 



ACT I. SCENE II. 169 

23. Take in. Take, subdue; as in Cor. i. 2. 24: "To take in many 
towns," etc. See our ed. p. 203. " 

*8 Process. Summons ; the legal sense of the word. Malone quotes 
Minsheu, Z?/rf. 16:7 : "The writings of our common lawyers sometimes 
call that the processe, by which a man is called into the court and no 

more." , . _ . j • o -n 

31. Homager. Vassal; the only instance of the word in S. Pope 

omits else. 

34. Ran^d. Well ordered. Cf. Cor. 111. 1. 206: 

" To bring the roof to the foundation, 
And bury all, which yet distinctly ranges, 
In heaps and piles of ruin." 

Rowe changes rang'd to " rais'd." 

35. 0«r dungy earth. Cf. JK 7 1 . ii. 1. 157 : " the whole dungy earth. 
39 To weet. To wit, to know. Elsewhere in the early eds. the spelling 

is " wit ;" as in M. of V. ii. 9. 90, A. Y. L.v.i. 57, etc. 

43 But stirr'd by Cleopatra. But influenced or inspired by Cleopatra. 
Johnson made but=" except," and Mason-" if but " , _ ... 

44 Love. The goddess of love, or Venus; Cf. C. of E. 111. 2. 52 : 
" Let Love, being light, be drowned if she sink ;" and see our ed. p. 128. 

45. Confound. Consume, spend; as in i. 4- 28 below. Cf. Cor. u 6. 
17 : " How couldst thou in a mile confound an hour ?" See also 1 Hen. 

IV. P. 152. , , „ r 77 

50. Whose. The 1st folio has " who ;" corrected in the 2d. Y ox fully 
the Coll. MS. gives "fitly." ^ 

53. We HI wander through the streets. Cf. extract from North, p. 152 

above. , ,. , 

60. That he approves, etc. " That he proves the common liar, fame, m 
his case to be a true reporter " (Malone). Cf. M. of V. iii. 2. 79 : ' ap- 
prove it with a text," etc. 

61. Hope of Cf. M.for M. iii. 1. 1 : " So then you hope of pardon from 
Lord Angelo ?" etc. 

Scene II.— The stage-direction in the folio is "Enter Enobarbus, 
Lamprius, a Southsayer, Rannius, Lucillius, Charmtan, Iras, Mardian 
the Eunuch, and Alexas ;" but Lamprius, Rannius, and Lucihus take no 
part in the dialogue. Perhaps, as Steevens suggests, they may have been 
in it as it was first written by S. and their names were accidentally lett 
here after their speeches had been struck out. Cf. Much Ado, p. 117, 
note on stage-direction. 

Lampria's, ox Lampryas, is mentioned by Plutarch. See p. 151 above. 

4 Charge. The folios have " change ;" corrected by Theo. (the con- 
jecture of Warb. and found also in the Southern MS.). Clarke thinks 
it " iust possible " that the old reading may be right, and that the mean- 
ine may be : " this husband who, you say, is to bring his future horns in 
exchange for our present garlands." For change^ exchange, see_ 1 Hen. 
IV. p. 152, note on Changing hardhnent. Some make change— vary, 
give a different appearance to." . . . 

8. Is H you, sir, that know things? "Admirably contrasted is the 



I7 o NOTES. 

waiting-woman's obtuseness in this form of question with the simple 
loftiness of the soothsayer's reply ; the blundering generalization of 
commonplace with the large all-embracing amplitude of research into 
Nature's wonders; the prosaic vagueness and the poetic vagueness" 
(Clarke). 

23. Heat my liver. Cf. M. of V. i. 1. 81 : " And let my liver rather heat 
with wine," etc. For the liver as the seat of love, cf. A. Y. L. p. 179. 

27. Herod. Cf. iii. 3. 3, iii. 6. 73, and iv. 6. 14 below. As Steevens 
notes, Herod was a familiar character in the mysteries of the early stage, 
on which he was represented as "a fierce, haughty, blustering tyrant." 
Cf. Ham. iii. 2. 16: "it out-herods Herod;" and see our ed. p. 221. 
Charmian's wish is therefore " for a son who may arrive at such power 
and dominion that the proudest and fiercest monarchs of the earth may 
be brought under his yoke." 

31. / love long life better than figs. A proverbial expression (Stee- 
vens). 

34. Belike. It is likely, I suppose. Johnson explains the speech thus: 
" If I have already had the best of my fortune, then I suppose I shall 
never name children, that is, I am never to be married. However, tell 
me the truth, tell me, ' how many boys and wenches ?' " Cf. T. G. of V. 
iii. 1. 321. 

36. Fertile. The folios have " foretell " or " foretel :" corrected by 
Theo. (the conjecture of Warb.). The Coll. MS. has " fruitful." 

37. I forgive thee for a witch. Alluding, as Steevens notes, to the 
proverb, " You '11 never be burnt for a witch." 

47. An oily palm, etc. Malone compares Oth. iii. 4. 36 : 
"This hand is moist, my lady. 

This argues fruitfulness and liberal heart." 

49. Worky-day. Ordinary, common. Cf. A. Y. L. i. 3. 12 : "this work- 
ing-day world." 

57. Alexas, — come, etc. In the folio this is printed as if it were the 
speech of Alexas : 

" Alexas. Come, his Fortune," etc. 

Theo. was the first to suggest the correction, which is required by the 
sense, and is, moreover, confirmed (though we are not aware that this 
has been noted) by the fact that elsewhere the prefix to the speeches of 
Alexas is the abbreviation "Alex." In the folio the proper names in the 
text are generally in italics, and this one was somehow mistaken for the 
prefix to a speech. 

62. Hear me this prayer. Cf. v. 1. 51 below : " We '11 hear him what 
he says," etc. 

74. Saw. The 1st folio has " Saue" (Save) ; corrected in the 2d. 

86. Jointing. Joining ; used by S. only here and in Cymb. v. 4. 142 
and v. 5. 440. 

88. Drave. For the form, cf. T. and C. iii. 3. 190, R. and J. i. I. 127, etc. 
Drove is the more common form of the past tense in S. For the parti- 
ciple he has driven, except in iv. 7. 5 below (droven) and 2 Hen. VI. iii. 



ACT I. SCENE II. ! 7I 

2. 84 {drove, which Schmidt thinks may be the past tense). Gr. 343, 344. 
For drave, cf. Josh. xvi. 10, xxiv. 12, etc. 

93. As. As if. Cf. iv. 1. 1 below. Gr. 107. 

95. Extended. Seized upon ; a legal use of the word. Cf. extent— 
seizure, in A. Y. L. in. 1. 17, and see our ed. p. 169. Steevens quotes 
Massinger, New Way to Pay Old Debts : " This manor is extended to mv 
use." 

Euphrates (the only instance of the word in S.) is accented on the first 
syllable, as by other writers of the time. Steevens quotes Drayton, 
Polyolbion, 2,1 : " That gliding go in state, like swelling Euphrates." Cf. 
Cymb. p. 166, note on Posthumus. 

99. Home. Without reserve or "mincing." Cf. Oth. ii. 1. 166: " He 
speaks home," etc. See our ed. p. 174. 

104. Minds. The folios have " windes " or "winds;" corrected by 
Hanmer, at the suggestion of Warb. Clarke (like K. and St.) retains 
" winds," as " a figurative image for the brisk, wholesomely searching winds 
that make the earth duly fruitful instead of letting it lie stagnant and 
overgrown with idle weeds ; as well as for the wholesomely rough breath 
of public censure and private candour which prevent the growth of 
moral weeds, and allow good fruits to spring up." Coll. also reads 
"winds," but takes it to be used in the provincial sense of "two fur- 
rows ploughed by the horses going to one end of the field and back 
again." 

105. Earing. Tilling, ploughing. Cf. A. W. i. 3. 47 : " He that ears 
my land spares my team," etc. See also i. 2. 105 below; and cf. Deut. 
xxi. 4, Isa. xxx. 24, etc. 

Warb. paraphrases the passage thus : " While the active principle 
within us lies immerged in sloth and luxury, we bring forth yices instead 
of virtues, weeds instead of flowers and fruits ; but the laying before us 
our ill condition plainly and honestly, is, as it were, the first culture of the 
mind, which gives hope of a future harvest." 

107. Sicyon. Spelt " Scicion" in the folio, as elsewhere. 

109. Stays upon your will. Cf. Macb. i. 3. 148 : "we stay upon your 
leisure ;" Ham. iii. 2. 112 : "they stay upon your patience," etc. 

117. Contempt doth. The 1st folio has " contempts doth," the 2d " con- 
tempts do ;" but it. is more likely that contempt was misprinted contempts 
than that do was made doth. Possibly S. wrote "contempts doth." Cf. 
R. and J. p. 140, or Gr. 334. 

119. By revolution lowering. Johnson sees an allusion to "the sun's 
diurnal course ;" but it seems to be rather to the turning of a wheel, 
probably suggested by the familiar "wheel of Fortune." Cf. iv. 15. 44 
below. Steevens paraphrases it thus: "The pleasure of to-day, by rev- 
olution of events and change of circumstances, often loses all its value to 
us, and becomes to-morrow a pain." The Coll. MS. has "by repetition 
souring." 

121. Could. Could willingly, would fain. 

122. Enchanting. Omitted in the 2d and later folios. Rowe reads 
" Egyptian." 

124. Ho! Etwbarbus! CapelPs emendation of the "How now Eno- 



I72 NOTES. 

barbus" of the folio. Ho is often printed "how" in the early eds., and 
the " now '' was probably inserted by accident. 

131. A compelling occasion. The folios have "a compelling an occa- 
sion ;" corrected by Rowe. 

135. Upon far poorer moment. "For less reason; upon meaner mo- 
tives " (Johnson). 

141. Call her winds and waters sighs and tears. Malone was at first 
inclined to read "call her sighs and tears winds and waters," but finally 
decided that the text is as S. wrote it. He compares Hen. VIII. v. 1. 107 : 
" To make your house our Tower ;" but the present passage does not 
seem to us a transposition like that. Enobarbus means just what he 
says, and there is a humour in it which Malone appears to have 
missed. 

155. When it pleaseth, etc. "When the deities are pleased to take a 
man's wife from him, this act of theirs makes them appear to man like 
the tailors of the earth : affording this comfortable reflection, that the 
deities have made other women to supply the place of his former wife ; as 
the tailor, when one robe is worn out, supplies him with another" (Ma- 
lone). Johnson wished to read "shows to men." Hanmer has "they 
show to man." 

161. The tears live in an onion, etc. Cf. onion-eyed in iv. 2. 35 below ; 
and see T of S. p. 128. 

166. Cleopatra's. Changed by Hanmer to "Cleopatra." Cf. i. 1. 1 
above. 

167. Your abode. Your abiding or remaining here. Cf. Cymb. i. 6. 53 : 

"Beseech you, sir, desire 
My man's abode where I did leave him;" 

that is, ask him to stay there. 

170. Expedience. Expedition ; as in I Hen. IV. i. 1. 33 : " In forward- 
ing this dear expedience." Elsewhere it is^haste ; as in Rich. II. ii. 1. 
287 and Hen. V. iv. 3. 70. 

171. Part. Depart; as often. See M. of V. p. 145. The folios have 
" love " for leave, which is Pope's correction. K. and Clarke retain 
"love," making the expression^" win her love to let us depart, prevail 
upon her love to endure parting." 

172. More tirgent touches. "Things that touch me more sensibly, more 
pressing motives" (Johnson). Cf. Cymb. i. I. 135 : 

"a touch more rare 
Subdues all pangs, all fears." 

174. Many our contriving friends. " Many friends who are busy in our 
interests" (Schmidt). For the order, cf. T. of A. iii. 6. n : "many my 
near occasions." 

175. Petition us at home. Are calling for our presence at home. 

176. Dare. Defiance; again used as a noun ( = daring, boldness) in 
I Hen. IV. iv. 1. 78 : "A larger dare to our great enterprise." 

179. To throw, etc. That is, to transfer his name and honours to his 
son. 



ACT I. SCENE III. 



17. 



1S3. Quality. Disposition, character. Cf. i. I. 54 above. 

184. The sides <?' the world. The expression occurs again in Cymb. iii. 
1. 51. Danger is not elsewhere used by S. as a verb. 

185. The courser's hair. Alluding to the old notion, still current in 
some places among children and the illiterate, that a horse-hair put into 
water will turn into a worm or snake. 

187. Such whose. For the relative after such, cf. i. 4. 28 below. Gr. 279. 
For place is the 1st folio has " places ;" corrected in the 2d. 

Scene IIT. — 1. I did not see him since. Cf. Hen. V. iv. 7. 58 : "I was 
not angry since I came to France," etc. Gr. 347 (cf. 132). 

3. I did not send you. " You must go as if you came without my order 
or knowledge " (Johnson). Cf. T. and C. iv. 2. 72 : 

"I will go meet them; and, my lord ./Eneas, 
We met by chance, you did not find me here." 

8. I do not. For the ellipsis of the relative, see Gr. 244. 

10. The way to lose him. That is, it is the way. The Coll. MS. points 
the line thus : "Thou teachest, like a fool, the way to lose him." 

11. I wish. Apparently used like "I pray," etc. Nicholson conject- 
ures "the wish " or "your wish." 

16. The sides of nature, etc. Steevens quotes T. N. ii. 4. 96 : 

"There is no woman's sides 
Can bide the beating of so strong a passion." 

28. Though you in swearing, etc. Cf. T. of A. iv. 3. 137 : 

"Although, I know, you '11 swear, terribly swear, 
Into strong shudders and to heavenly agues 
The immortal gods that hear you." 

32. Colour. Pretext; as in Hen. VIII. i. 1. 178: 

"Under pretence to see the queen his aunt — 
For 't was indeed his colour," etc 

35. Eternity was in our lips, etc. " Cleopatra tauntingly says this as 
if it were a repetition of what Antony had formerly said of her" (Clarke). 

36. In our broivs' bent. Steevens quotes K. John, iv. 2. 90 : " Why do 
you bend such solemn brows on me ?" 

37. Was a race of heaven. Was of heavenly origin. Warb. makes it = 
"had a smack or flavour of heaven," and Johnson accepts that explana- 
tion. Hanmer changes race to "ray." 

44. Iji use. In trust ; a legal term. Cf. M. of V. iv. 1. 383 : 

" I am content, so he will let me have 
The other half in use, to render it, 
Upon his death, unto the gentleman 
That lately stole his daughter." 

46. Port. Some make this=gate, as in iv. 4. 23 below ; but, as Pom- 
pey was approaching by sea, the reference is more probably to Ostia, the 
harbour of Rome. If it had the other meaning we should expect the 
plural, as in Cor. v. 6. 6. 



I74 NOTES. 

48. Breed. Changed by Pope to " Breeds ;" but it is probably an in- 
^©Kace of " confusion of proximity " (Gr. 412). 

49. Condemned. Accented on the first syllable, probably because 
coming before the noun. See Cor. p. 255 (on Divine) and p. 268 (on 
Supreme). 

51. Thrived. The only instance of the participle in S. We find the 
past tense thrived in Per. v. 2. 9. 

53. Would pur^e. Would be cured. Cf. the transitive use in W. T. iv. 
4. 790, Rich. II. i. I. 153, Macb. v. 3. 52, etc. 

54. Particular. Private concern. For the use of more, cf. K. "John, ii. 

I. 34 : "a more requital," etc. Gr. 17. 

55. Safe. Render safe ; used as a verb by S. only here and in iv. 6. 26 
' below. Theo. changed it here to "salve." 

58. It does fro?n childishness. That is, as Ritson explains, from being 
so childish as to believe you. She does not believe at first that Fulvia 
is really dead. Malone explains it: "I am not so childish as to have 
apprehensions from a rival that is no more ;" which seems to us a very 
childish interpretation. The reply of Antony clearly favours the other. 

61. Garboils. Disturbances, turmoils, "tantrums" (W.). The only 
other instance of the word in S. is ii. 2. 67 below. Steevens quotes 
Stanyhurst, yEneid, 1582: "Now manhood and garboils I chaunt and 
martial horror." 

At the last, best. This has been variously interpreted, but probably 
refers to the last part of the letter, or that giving the good news of 
Fulvia's death. This explanation is confirmed by Cleopatra's reply. 
Steevens calls it a "conjugal tribute to the memory of Fulvia," and 
compares Malcolm's eulogium on the thane of Cawdor, Macb. i. 4. 7 : 

"nothing in his life 
Became him like the leaving of it." 

Boswell says : " Surely it means her death was the best thing I have 
known of her, as it checked her gay-boils.''' St. takes best to be vocative = 
"my best one." 

63. Vials. " Alluding to the lachrymatory vials, or bottles of tears, 
which the Romans sometimes put into the urn of a friend" (Johnson). 

68. The fire, etc. That is, the sun. Steevens, to fill out the measure, 
reads " Now by the fire." Cf. Gr. 508. 

71. Affecfst. Pleasest, likest. The 1st folio has "affects;" a not un- 
common contraction of such forms. See Gr. 340. 

73. So Antony loves. Steevens, Clarke, and some other editors make 
ih\s=thus (that is, in this uncertain, fickle way) Antony loves; but we 
think that so is=if : I am quickly ill, — and as quickly well again if 
Antony only loves me. For so, cf. ii. 5. 94 below. Gr. 133. The reply 
of Antony is consistent with either interpretation. 

74. Evidence. The Coll. MS. has "credence," which W. adopts. Give 
triie evidence =bear true testimony. 

78. Good notv. Not uncommon in this vocative construction. See C. 
of E. p. 140. For Egypt= queen of Egypt, cf. 41 above, and i. 5. 34, Hi. 

II. 51, 56, etc., below. 



ACT I. SCENE IV. 



175 



81. Meetly. Well ; the only instance of the word in S. 

84. Herculean. " Antony traced his descent from Anton, a son of Her- 
cules " (Steevens). Cf. iv. 12. 44 below. 

85. The carriage of his chafe. His chafed or angry bearing. The noun 
chafe is used by S. only here ; but cf. the verb in Cor. iii. 3. 27, Hen. VIII. 
i. 1. 123, iii. 2. 206, etc. See also J. C. p. 131. St. changes chafe to 
"chief" (that is, Hercules). For carriage, see Much Ado, p. 127. 

90. O, my oblivio7i is a very Antony, etc., " O, this oblivious memory of 
mine is as false and treacherous as Antony is, and I forget every thing " 
(Steevens). For ^/zWt»;/=forgetfulness in this subjective sense, cf. Ham. 
iv. 4. 40 : " Bestial oblivion," etc. 

F 'or forgotten, see Gr. 374, and cf. our use of mistaken. Here there is 
probably a play upon the double sense of the word. 

91. But that your royalty, etc. But that your sovereignty can make 
frivolousness subservient to your purpose, I should take you for frivolous- 
ness itself. Warb. explained it : " But that your charms hold me, who 
am the greatest fool on earth, in chains, I should have adjudged you to be 
the greatest;" and Steevens thus: "But that your queenship chooses 
idleness for the subject of your conversation, I should take you for idle- 
ness itself;" but he suggested that it might mean, "But that I know you 
to be a queen, and that your royalty holds idleness in subjection to you, 
exalting you far above its influence, I should suppose you to be the very 
genius of idleness itself." Warb. considered that Cleopatra's reply 
favoured his interpretation (taking idleness to refer to Antony, as he had 
used it); but it may be better explained by ours, which is essentially 
the same as that of Clarke, who paraphrases the reply thus : " Ah ! it is 
hard work to sustain such trifling so near the heart (or with so much of 
earnest feeling beneath it) as Cleopatra has carried on this trifling of 
hers." 

96. My becomings kill me, etc. The meaning seems to be that she 
reckons her very graces as her deadly enemies if they do not gain his 
favour. Steevens thinks there may be an allusion to what Antony has 
said of her in i. 1. 49 above. 

100. Laurel. The 2d folio has " Lawrell'd," which many editors prefer. 

103. That thou, residing here, etc. Steevens remarks that the conceit 
may have been suggested by Sidney's Arcadia : 

"She went, they staid; or, rightly for to say, 
She staid with them, they went in thought with her." 

He quotes also the Mercator of Plautus : " Si domi sum, foris est animus ; 
sin foris sum, animus domi est." 

Scene IV.— 3. Our. The folios have " One ;" corrected by Sr. (the 
conjecture of Heath and Johnson). Hanmer reads " A." 

Competitor^ associate ; as in ii. 7. 71 and v. 1. 42 below. See also T. 
N. p. 158. 

6. Ptolemy. Used, as in 17 below, because the queen belonged to the 
line of the Ptolemies. Cf. iii. 12. 18 below. 

9. The abstract of all 'faults. " A microcosm of sinfulness " (Schmidt). 



176 



NOTES. 



n. Enow. The old plural of enough. Cf. M. of V. iii. 5. 24, iv. 1. 29, 
Hen. V. iv. 1. 240, iv. 2. 28, etc. See also p. 154 above. 

12, 13. His faults, etc. The comparison is elliptically expressed, but 
intelligible enough. Cf. Cymb. v. 5. 120 : 

" One sand another 
Not more resembles that sweet rosy lad 
Who died, and was Fidele." 

14. Purchased. Acquired. Cf. A. Y. L. iii. 2. 360: "Your accent is 
something finer than you could purchase in so removed a dwelling ;" and 
see our ed. p. 177. 

20. Reel the streets. For the transitive use, cf. Ham. i. 4. 9 : " Keeps 
wassail, and the swaggering up-spring reels." Cf. Gr. 198. 

22. As. See on ii. 2. 52 below. Johnson conjectured " And." Com- 
/ara7-<?=composition ; as in T. and C. ii. 3. 251 : " thou art of sweet com- 
posure." In the only other instance of the word in S. (T. and C. ii. 3. 
109, where the folios have " counsel ") it is = combination. 

24. Soils. Stains, blemishes. The folios have "foyles" or "foyls;" 
corrected by Malone. Coll. conjectures " foibles." S. does not use the 
plural anywhere else. Schmidt would retain " foils," explaining it as 
"blemishes." 

When we do bear, etc. " When his trifling levity throws so much 
burden on us " (Johnson). S. is fond of playing on the various senses of 
light. 

25. If he fill d, etc. " If Antony followed his debaucheries at a time of 
leisure, I should leave him to be punished by their natural consequences, 
by surfeits and dry bones " (Johnson). Call on Aim=cal\ him to account ; 
or, perhaps, "visit him" (Schmidt). The Coll. MS. has "Fall on him." 

28. Confotcnd. See on i. 1.45 above; and for such . . . that, on i. 2. 
187. 

31. Being mature in knowledge. That is, "being old enough to know 
their duty" (Johnson), or old enough to know better. Hanraer reads 
" who, immature," etc.; but the experience and judgment that follow im- 
ply that the boys are mature enough to know what is right, though they 
may not have the manly strength to resist temptation. 

33. Here 'j more news. See on i. 1. 19 above. We often, however, find 
the singular verb before a plural subject. Gr. 335. 

38. Ports. The Coll. MS. has "fleets," but Coll. does not adopt it. 

39. Discontents. Malcontents; as in 1 Hen. IV. v. 1. 76: "fickle 
changelings and poor discontents." 

40. Give. Represent ; as in Cor. i. 9. 55 : " To us that give you truly." 
43. Ebb'd. That has ebbed, or declined. Cf. Temp. ii. 1. 226 : " Ebb- 
ing men ;" and Tear, v. 3. 19 : 

"great ones 
That ebb and flow by the moon." 

For the form, cf. forgotten in i. 3. 90 above. 

Rami changes the second ne'er to "not" (Malone's conjecture) ; but 
never is often = an emphatic not, and the repetition is quite in the manner 
of S. 



ACT I. SCENE V. 177 

44. Comes dear'd. Becomes endeared. The folios have " fear'd ;" 
corrected by Theo. (the conjecture of Warb.). The Coll. MS. reads 
" lov'd." Dr. Tngleby suggests that the old reading is = " 'feer'd," a con- 
traction of " affeer'd," for which see Macb. p. 239. 

46. Lackeying. The folios have "lacking;" corrected by Theo. Pope 
reads "lashing." 

49. Ear. Plough. See on i. 2. 105 above. 

52. Lack blood to think on 7. " Turn pale at the thought of it " (Johnson). 

Flush youth— " youth ripened to manhood, youth whose blood is at the 
flow" (Steevens). 

56. Wassails. The folios have " vassailes," " vassails," or " vassals ;" 
corrected by Pope. For wassail = carousal, see Macb. p. 180, or Ham. p. 
192. Henley believed " vassals " to be the true reading. 

57. Modena. Accented here (the only instance of the word in S.) on 
the second syllable. Cf. the extract from North, p. 149 above. 

61. Suffer. That is, suffer with. For the ellipsis of the preposition in 
relative sentences, see Gr. 394. 

62. Stale. Urine. Gilded=covered with yellow scum. 

71. Lank'd. Became lank or thin ; the only instance of the verb in S. 

'T 'is pity of him. The same expression occurs in Oth. ii. 3. 130. Cf. 
T. N. ii. 5. 14, M. N. D. iii. 1. 44, etc. 

75. We. The 1st folio has "me," which Clarke retains. 

79. Front. Face, encounter. Cf. 2 Hen. IV. iv. 1. 25 : " What well- 
appointed leader fronts us here?" Capell prints '"front." See also ii. 
2. 61 below. 

84. For my bond. " That is, to be my bounden duty " (Mason). 

Scene V. — 4. Mandragora. Mandrake ; a soporific. Cf. Oth. iii. 3. 330 : 

"Not poppy, nor mandragora, 
Nor all the drowsy syrups of the world, 
Shall ever medicine thee to that sweet sleep 
Which thou ow'dst yesterday." 

Steevens quotes Webster, Duchess of Malfy : 

" Come, violent death, 
Serve for mandragora, and make me sleep." 

13. Wo? st. Knowest ; used by S. only in the present tense and the 
participle wotting. For the latter, see W. T. iii. 2. 77. 

14. Demi- Atlas. Cf. 3 Hen. VL. v. 1. 36 : "Thou art no Atlas for so 
great a weight." 

15. Burgonet. A kind of helmet. Cf. 2 Hen. VI. v. 1. 204: "This 
day I '11 wear aloft my burgonet." 

.20. Broad-fronted. "Bald-fronted" was the "bald" conjecture of 
Seward. 

23. Ln. Into; as often. Gr. 159. 

24. Anchor his aspect. Cf. Sonn. 137. 6 : 

"If eyes corrupt by over-partial looks 
Be anchor'd in the bay where all men ride," etc. 

Steevens quotes M.for M. ii. 4. 4. 

M 



178 NOTES. 

Aspect is accented on the last syllable, as regularly in S. Gr. 490. 
27. That great medicine. Alluding to the "grand elixir" of the alche- 
mists. Cf. A. W. v. 3. 102 : 

" Plutus himself, 
That knows the tinct and multiplying medicine, 
Hath not in nature's mystery more science 
Than I have in this ring;" 

and see our ed. p. 178. Walker suggests that medicine may be=physi- 
cian, as in A. W. ii. 1. 75. Cf. Macb. p. 248. 

34. Egypt. See on i. 3. 78 above. 

39. Arm-gaunt. A puzzle to the critics, who have suggested many 
emendations: as "arm-girt" (Hanmer), "termagant" (Mason), "war- 
gaunt " (Jackson), "arrogant " (Boaden and Sr.), " rampaunt " or " ramp- 
ing " (Letisom), etc. Various attempts have been made to explain arm- 
gaunt, but we have no doubt that it is a misprint. The poet's word was 
not improbably " rampaunt," though, as Sr. says, the article an favours 
" arrogant." 

41. Dumlfd. The folios have "dumbe" or "dumb;" corrected by 
Theo. We find " dumbs " in Per. v. prol. 5 : " Deep clerks she dumbs." 
Warb. reads "done." For the adverbial beastly, cf. T of S. iv. 2. 34, 
Cymb. v. 3. 27, etc. The Coll. MS. has " boastfully." 

50. Mingle. S. uses the noun only here and in iv. 8. 37 below. 

53. Several. Separate ; as often. Cf. 68 and iii. 13. 5 below. See also 
Temp. p. 131. 

54. So thick. " In such quick succession " (Steevens). Cf. Macb. 1.3. 97 : 

"As thick as tale 
Came post with post." 

62. Paragon. The verb is used in different though related senses in 
Hen. VIII. ii. 4. 230 and Oth. ii. 1. 62. 

65. Cold in blood, etc. The pointing is that of Warb. and is generally 
adopted ; the folio joins the words to what precedes. 

69. Unpeople Egypt. "By sending out messengers " (Johnson). 



ACT II. 

Scene I.— i. Shall. Will. Cf.Gr.315. 

3. They not deny. For the transposition of not, cf. ii. 2. 35 below. Gr. 

3°5- 

4. Whiles. Used by S. interchangeably with while. Gr. 137. 

" The meaning is, while we are praying, the thing for which we pray 
is losing its value" (Johnson). 

10. My powers are crescent. Changed by Theo. to " My power 's a 
crescent," on account of the following it ; but cf. T. of A. iii. 6. 101 : 

"Who, stuck and spangled with your flatteries, 
Washes it off," etc. 

21. Salt. Wanton, lustful. Cf. Oth. p. 175. 
Watfid. Faded, declined. Cf. 3 Hen. VI. iv. 7. 4 : 



ACT II. SCENE II. 179 

" I shall interchange 
My waned state for Henry's regal crown." 

The folios have "wand;" Pope reads "wan," and Johnson conjectures 

" fond " " Wann'd " is an anonymous conjecture noted in the Camb. eel. 

24 Epicurean. Accented on the antepenult, as in other writers of the 

time.' S. uses the word only here and (in prose) in M. W. ii. 2. 300. Gr. 

49 2V Cloyless. Uncloying. Cf. ^///^J=unhelping (V.andA. 60$, Rich. 
Ill i 2 13 etc ), sightless-- unseen [Macb. i. 7. 23), etc. See Gr. 3. 

26 ' Proro<me. " Linger out, keep in a languishing state " (Schmidt). 

27'. LethPd. The folios have "Lethied." For the noun, cf.11. 7. 109 

below. , ,. „ . r, 1 r ^ 

21. A space for. Time long enough for. Space is often used of tune ; 
as in Temp. i. 2. 279 : "within which space she died;" A. W. 11. 3. 188: 
" the coming space," etc. 

37. Egypt's widow. Julius Caesar had married her to young Ptolemy, 
who was" afterwards drowned (Steevens). 

-zS Hope. Expect, suppose ; as in Hen. V. 111. 7. 77 : Some of them 
will fall to-morrow, I hope." Boswell remarks that it was considered a 
blundering use of the word in the time of Elizabeth, as appears from 
Puttenham, Arte of English Poesie: " Such manner of uncouth speech 
did the Tanner of Tamworth use to king Edward the fourth which lan- 
ner having a great while mistaken him, and used very broad talke with 
him at length perceiving by his traine that it was the king, said thus with 
a ce'rtaine rude repentance : I hope I shall be hanged to-morrow ! For 
[I feare me] I shall be hanged, whereat the king laughed agood, not only 
to see the Tanners vaine feare, but also to heare his ill-shapen terme." 

41 Warr'd The 1st folio has " wan'd ;" corrected in the 2d. 

45! Pregnant. Very probable. Cf. Cymb. iv. 2. 325 : " O, 'tis preg- 
nant, pregnant !" See also Lear, p. 198. 

Square. Quarrel. Cf. M. N. D. ii. 1. 30 : " And now they never meet 
. . . But they do square ;" and see our ed. p. 138. 

49. Yet not know. Do not yet know. For the transposition, see Gr. 
76. Cf. iv. 12. 1 below. rfD ., 

50. Stands our lives upon. Behooves us as we value our lives. Cf. Rich. 
II. ii. 3. 138 : " It stands your grace upon to do him right ;" and see our 
ed. p. 186, or Ham. p. 269. Gr. 204. 

Scene II.— 8. I would not shave V. That is, I would not show him 
even that degree of respect. 

9. Stomaching. Giving way to anger or resentment S. uses the verb 
only here and in iii. 4. 12 below. For the noun ( = wrath), see Lear, p. 254. 

15. Compose. Agree, make terms. Cf. composition in ii. 6. 58 below. 

16. I do not know, etc. This is part of the conversation between Caesar 
and Maecenas as they come in. 

21. Loud. In high words. Cf. Oth. ii. I. 150: "Had tongue at will, 
and yet was never loud," etc. 

25. Nor curstness %row to the matter. P Let not ill-humour be added 
to the real subject of our difference " (Johnson). S. uses curstness only 



i8o NOTES. 

here, but cf. curst in Lear, ii. I. 67: "with curst speech" (see our ed. 
p. 198), etc. 

35. Not concern" 1 d. See on ii. 1. 3 above. 

40. How intend you practised? What do you mean by practised? The 
word was often = plot ; as in Lear, iii. 2. 57 : " practis'd on man's life," etc. 

44. Was theme for you. Had you for its theme, was on your account. 
Coll. has " For theme was you," and St. conjectures " Had you for 
theme." 

46. Did urge me in his act. " Made use of my name as a pretence for 
the war" (Warb.). 

47. Reports. " Reporters " (Pope's reading). S. uses reporter only in 
189 below. 

50. Stomach. Disposition, inclination. Cf. Hen. V. iv. 3. 35 : " he 
which hath no stomach to this fight," etc. 

51. Having alike your cause. I being engaged in the same cause with 
you (Malone). 

52. Patch a quarrel. Make a quarrel, as it were, out of mere shreds 
and pieces. In the next line the not is not in the folios, but was inserted 
by Rowe. Clarke follows the old text, and believes that the language is 
purposely equivocal ; " Antony allowing Caesar to understand either ' If 
you desire to pick a quarrel with me, you could find stronger ground for 
basing it upon than these frivolous causes of. complaint,' or 'If you wish 
to make up the quarrel between us, you have better means of doing so 
than by ripping up these trivial grievances.' " Dr. Ingleby (S. the Man 
and the Book, Part I. p. 145) also follows the folio, making have "the verb 
of obligation." He says: "Antony refers to former letters, and Caesar 
to former excuses : so that when Antony speaks of patching the quarrel, 
he means that the quarrel has been already worn out by discussion. 
Caesar ought (he says) to be able to adduce a new and entire ground of 
complaint ; but that if he will patch up the old quarrel he must do it with 
something else than the pretence that Antony's wife and brother have 
made wars upon him. . , . As is the conjunction of reminder, being em- 
ployed by S. and his contemporaries to introduce a subsidiary statement, 
qualifying, or even contradicting, what goes before, which the person ad- 
dressed is required to take for granted." Cf. A. Y. L. iii. 5. 38, M.forM. 
ii. 4. 89, and i. 4. 22 above. We can accept this explanation (which so far 
fits the other reading equally well) except in making have " the verb of 
obligation." If it were that have, it ought to mean, we think, you are 
obliged to adduce, or you must adduce, not "you ought to be able to 
adduce." It will hardly bear the " twist " that Dr. I. has to give it in 
order to make it serve his purpose here. 

60. With graceful eyes attend. Look graciously or approvingly upon. 
Pope reads "grateful." 

61. Fronted. Opposed. Cf. i. 4. 79 above. 

62. 1 would you had, etc. "I wish you were married to such another 
spirited woman ; and then you would find that, though you can govern 
the third part of the world, the management of such a woman is not an 
easy matter" (Malone). Spirit is a monosyllable {—sprite), as often. 
Gr. 463. 



ACT II SCENE II. j3j 

64. Pace. Teach paces tQ, break in. Cf. Hen. VIII. v. 3. 22 : 

"those that tame wild horses 
Pace 'em not in their hands to make 'em gentle, 
But stop their mouths with stubborn bits, and spur 'em, 
Till they obey the manage." 

67. Garboih. See on i. 3. 61 above. 

70. Did you too much disqtriet. S. has do with many nouns with which 
we should not now use it; as "do danger" (f. C. ii. 1. 17), "do our 
country loss" {Hen. V. iv. 3. 21), "do him disparagement" (R. and J. i. 
5. 72), "do him shame" (R. of L. 597, Sonn. 36. 10), "do him ease" (T. 
of S. v. 2. 179, Ham. i. I. 131), etc. 

For that—hwt for all that, nevertheless. 

74. Missive. Messenger. Cf. Macb. i. 5. 7 : " Whiles I stood rapt in 
the wonder of it, came missives from the king, who all-hailed me ' Thane 
of Cawdor.' " S. uses the word only twice. 

78. Told him of myself. "Told him the condition I was in, when he 
had his last audience " (Warb.). 

85. The honour is sacred, etc. " The theme of honour which he now 
speaks of, namely, the religion of an oath, for which he supposes me not 
to have a due regard, is sacred ; let him therefore urge his charge, that I 
may vindicate myself" (Malone). Mason takes now to refer to is, not to 
talks: "the honour which Caesar talked of was now sacred and inviolate, 
supposing that he had been somewhat deficient before " (as he has now 
brought Caesar the aid which he neglected to send "when rioting in 
Alexandria"). 

94. Without it. That is, without my honesty. 

98. Noble. The 2d folio has "nobly." Cf. Hen. VIII. ii. 4. 141 : "she 
's noble born ;" and Cor. iii. 2. 6 : " You do the nobler." Gr. 1. 

99. Enforce. Urge, lay stress upon ; as in Cor. ii. 3. 227 : " enforce 
his pride," etc. 

100. Griefs. Grievances. Cf. J. C. i. 3. 118: "redress of all these 
griefs ;" Id. iv. 2. 42 : " Speak your griefs softly," etc. See also 1 Hen. 
IV. p. 192. 

102. Atone. Reconcile. Cf. Rich. II. i. 1. 202 : " Since we cannot 
atone you ;" and see our ed. p. 156. 

no. Your considerate stone. That is, I am as silent as a stone. The 
meaning seems obvious enough, but Johnson wanted to read "Go to, you 
■considerate ones," and Heath conjectured "your confederates love." 
Steevens cites many passages to show that "still as a stone " was a com- 
mon simile. Cf. T.A. iii. 1.46: "A stone is silent and offendeth not." 
Toilet explains the passage thus : " I will henceforth seem senseless as a 
stone, however I may observe and consider your words and actions ;" but 
we take it that considerate is simply = discreet, circumspect. 

115. What hoop, etc. Steevens compares 2 Hen. IV. iv. 4. 43 : "A hoop 
of gold to bind thy brothers in." 

120. Say not so. The folios have " Say not, say ;" corrected by Rowe. 
In the next line they have " proofe " or " proof" for reproof which was 
the conjecture of Warb. 



l82 NOTES. 

122. Were well deserved of rashness. Would be well deserved for your 
rashness. 

128. To his wife. Cf. J. C. ii. I. 293, Ham. i. 2. 14, etc. See also Matt. 
iii. 9, Luke, iii. 8, etc. Gr. 189. 

133. Import. Carry with them. 

134. Be tales. For the measure, Pope reads "be but tales," and Capell 
" then be tales." Steevens conjectures " be as tales," St. " be half tales," 
Keightley " be tales only," and Nicholson " be mere tales." 

144. Potver unto. Elsewhere we have of {Ham. ii. 2. 27, etc.), zipon (as 
in i. 3. 23 above), in {Much Ado, iv. 1. 75, etc.), and over {Rich. III. i. 2. 
47, etc.). 

156. / must thank him only, etc. I must just thank him, lest I be 
thought forgetful of his courtesies ; and then I will defy him. 

158. At heel of that. Cf. Ham. iii. 2. 341 : " But is there no sequel at 
the heels of this mother's admiration ?" See also T. of A. i. 1. 27, etc. 

159. Of us. For of with the agent, see Gr. 170. 
164. So is the fame. Such is the report. 

167. Most. Utmost, greatest; as in Ham. i. 5. 180: "at your most 
need," etc. Gr. 17. 

168. To my sister's view. To see my sister ; the " objective genitive." 
177. Digested. The 1st folio has "disgested." So in Cor. i. 1. 154 and 

y. C. i. 3. 205 we find " disgest." See Nares, s. v. Disgest ; and cf. Wb. 

180. Eight zvild boars roasted, etc. See extract from North, p. 151 
above. 

186. Square to her. Just to her.. Cf. T.of A. v. 4. 36 : 

" All have not offended ; 
For those that were, it is not square to take 
Of those that are, revenges." 

188. Upon the river of Cydnus. Mason criticised this as "an instance 
of negligence and inattention in S.," since, according to 216 below, An- 
tony, being then in the market-place, did not see her on the river ; which 
reminds. one of Yellowplush's surprise at finding that Boulogne-sur-Mer 
was on the shore and not " on the sea." Upon the river, as Clarke notes, 
means "on the shores of the river," including the "city." 

192. The barge she sat in, etc. Cf. North, p. 151 above. 

200. Cloth-ofgold of tissue. Explained by some as = cloth -of-gold in 
tissue or texture (for of=m, see Gr. 173) ; but St. is probably right in 
making it = "cloth-of-gold on a ground of tissue." He says that the ex- 
pression "repeatedly occurs in early English books." He might have 
added that S. takes it from North. See p. 151 above. 

201. That Venus. Warb. says that this means "the Venus of Protog- 
enes, mentioned by Pliny." 

206. What they tmdid did. That is, seemed to produce the glow they 
were intended to allay. Johnson thought it would be better to read 
" what they did, undid." 

208. Te7ided her f the eyes. Apparently = waited upon her looks. 
Clarke compares M. N. D. iii. I. 168 : "gambol in his eyes." Steevens 
cites Ham. iv. 4. 6 : " We shall express our duty in his eye ;" that is, in 
our personal attendance upon him. 



ACT II. SCENE II 



183 



209. And made their bends adomings. This is the great crux of the 
play. The notes upon it in the Var. of 1821 fill six pages, and include 
some very amusing matter. More recent commentators have added a 
good deal more of the same sort. If the old text be right, the simplest 
explanation is that they made their obeisance, or bowed, with such grace 
that it added to their beauty ; or, as Steevens puts it, " each inclined her 
person so gracefully that the very act of humiliation was an improvement 
of her own beauty." This idea of grace in doing service follows naturally 
enough the mention of their waiting upon her in the preceding line. 
Hanmer changed adomings to " adorings," and W. reads " their bends, 
adoring." The only other emendation or explanation that seems worth 
mentioning is Dr. Ingleby's (Shakes. Hermeneutics, p. 119) : "We read, 
after Zachary Jackson, * the bends' adomings.' Both eyes and bends were 
parts of Cleopatra's barge. The eyes of a ship are the hawseholes ; the 
bends are the wales, or thickest planks in the ship's sides. North has it : 
'others tending the tackle and ropes of the barge;' which settles the 
question as to the meaning of eyes: and that once fixed, the other part of 
the interpretation is inevitable. What could the hardy soldier, Enobar- 
bus, care for the curves of the mermaids' bodies ? To us it is obvious 
that if the girls tended Cleopatra at the eyes, they would, there, be the 
natural ornaments of the bends." This is ingenious, but we cannot ac- 
cept it. The reference in North to "tending the tackle" follows (see p. 
151 above) the mention of "steering the helm;" and the counterpart to 
it in the play is the silken tackle, etc., which occupies the same position in 
the description. The part of North's account which corresponds to made 
their bends adomings seems to be the statement that the gentlewomen 
were apparelled " like the Graces," and this might suggest a reference to 
grace in their movements. We believe that in all that has been written 
on the passage, no one has called attention to the very close paraphrase 
of North which S. gives : " Her ladies and gentlewomen . . . were ap- 
parelled like the nymphs Nereids (which are the mermaids of the waters) 
and " — after getting so far we have only to seek a parallel for " like the 
Graces ;" and may we not find it in made their bends adomings? — made 
their very obeisance, as they tended her, like that of the Graces waiting 
on Venus. As to the appropriateness of the description in the mouth 
of " the hardy soldier Enobarbus," is it any more poetical or senti- 
mental than what precedes and follows ? If he had an eye for the 
" delicate cheeks " and the " flower-soft hands " and all that, why 
not for the " curves of the mermaids' bodies ?" Note how fond he is 
of dwelling on Cleopatra's witchery. Cf. 229-241 below, i. 2. 146 fol. 
above, etc. 

210. Tackle. As a kind of " collective " noun, it here takes a plural 
verb. The later folios have " tackles." 

211. Swell. Perhaps suggested by the swelling of the sails, and possi- 
bly with the added figurative idea of palpitating, as it were, with pleasure 
at the touch. Coll. adopts the bad " Smell " of his MS. 

212. Yarely. Readily, deftly. Ci.yare ( = quick) in v. 2. 282 below. 
214. Wharfs. Banks ; used by S. only here and in Ha?n. i. 5. 33 : "on 

Lethe wharf." 



1 84 



NOTES. 



217. But for vacancy. "Alluding to an axiom in the Peripatetic phi- 
losophy then in vogue, that Nature abhors a vacuum " (Warb.). 
222. // should. It would. Gr. 326. 

225. Barber 'd ten times o'er. Cf. 8 above. 

226. His ordinary. His supper, his meal. Cf. A. W. ii. 3. 211 : "for 
two ordinaries/' S. uses the noun nowhere else except in A. Y. L. iii. 5. 
42 : " the ordinary Of Nature's sale-work." 

227. Wench. In the time of S. " not always used in a bad sense, but as 
a general familiar expression, in any variation of tone between tenderness 
and contempt " (Schmidt). 

232. Did make defect perfection. An expression not unlike made their 
bends adornings above. 

236. Stale. Render stale; changed in the 2d folio to "steale." Cf. 
J. C. i. 2. 73 : " To stale with ordinary oaths my love ;" Id. iv. 1. 38 : 
"out of use and stal'd by other men," etc. 

238. But she makes hungry, etc. Cf. V. and A. 19 : 

"And yet not cloy thy lips with loath' d satiety, 
But rather famish them amid their plenty." 

Malone quotes Per. v. 1. 113: "Who starves the ears she feeds, and 
makes them hungry." 

240. Become themselves. Are becoming. Malone compares Sonn. 150. 
5 : " Whence hast thou this becoming of things ill ?" 

241. Piggish. Wanton; the only instance of the word in S. Steevens 
and Malone cite examples of the noun rig (=harlot), but none of the 
adjective. 

244. Lottery. Prize. Theo. has "allotery" (the suggestion of Warb.) 
= allotment. 

Scene III. — 3. Bozv my prayers. Rowe reads "in prayers," and the 
Coll. MS. " with prayers." 

6. Kept my square. Explained by the context. Cf. the use of the verb 
in W. T. v. 1. 52 : 

"O that ever I 
Had squar'd me to thy counsel!" 

8. Good night, sir. The 2d folio gives this to Octavia ; but the reply 
of Caesar shows that it is addressed to him. 

14. In my motion. In my mind, " intuitively " (Schmidt). Cf. A. W. 

iii. I. 13 : 

"like a common and an outward man, 
That the great figure of a council frames 
By self-unable motion ; therefore dare not 
Say what I think of it ;" 

and see our ed. p. 157. Theo. reads "notion" here, as Warb. does in 
A. W. 

20. Thy demon, that thy spirit, etc. The reading of the 1st folio ; the 
2d has "that 's thy." Cf. the passage in North, p. 155 above. The 
wording of this seems to have suggested the change in the 2d folio, and 
has led some of the modern editors to adopt that reading; but K., D., 



ACT II. SCENES IV. AND V. 



i8 5 



V., W., Clarke, and the Camb. ed. follow the 1st folio. Abbott (Gr. 239) 
finds only one instance of the demonstrative before a possessive pronoun 
in S. {J. C. ii. 1. 112: "this our lofty scene"); but the combination is 
not uncommon in the plays. Cf. Hen. V. iv. 8. 96, T. and C. i. 1. 55, J. C. 
v. 5. 27, Macb. i. 7. 53, ii. 2. 61, iii. 6. 48, etc. See also iii. 5. 17 and iv. 14. 
79 in the present play. 

For demon— genius, or attendant spirit, cf. Macb. iii. 1. 56 : 

"There is none but he 
Whose being I do fear ; and under him 
My Genius is rebuk'd, as it is said 
Mark Antony's was by Caesar;" 

and C.ofE.y. 1. 332: 

"One of these men is Genius to the other; 
And so of these. Which is the natural man, 
And which the spirit?" 

23. A fear. Apparently a simple personification, though Steevens 
thinks it necessary to compare the introduction oiFear as a personage in 
the old moralities. Thirlby's conjecture of " afeard " is, however, plausi- 
ble enough. 

28. Thickens. Grows dim. Cf. Macb. iii. 2. 50 : 

"Light thickens, and the crow 
Makes wing to the rooky wood." 

31. Away. The folios have "alway;" corrected by Pope. 

35. The very dice, etc. Cf. North, p. 155 above. 

36. Cunning. Skill ; as in iii. 12. 31 below. Cf. Ps. cxxxvii. 5, and the 
adjective in Gen. xxv. 27, etc. 

37. Speeds. Has good luck, prospers. See W. T. p. 161, note on Sped. 
39. All to nought. That is, when the odds are as everything to nothing. 

Cf. Rich. III. i. 2. 238 : " And yet to win her,— all the world to nothing ;" 
and Cor. v. 2. 10 : "it is lots to blanks." 

Quails. " The ancients used to match quails as we match cocks " 
(Johnson). The birds were i7ihoop , d, or confined within a circle, to keep 
them "up to the scratch ;" or, as others say, the one that was driven out 
of the hoop was considered beaten. Hanmer reads "in-coop'd at odds," 
and Capell "in whoop'd-at odds." 

Scene IV.— 6. At the Mount. That is, at Misenum. The 1st folio 
omits at. 

8. About. That is, by a roundabout way. Cf. Macb. iii. 3. 1 1 : " His 
horses go about." 

Scene V. — 1. Moody. Pensive, sad ; as in C. of E. v. 1. 79, etc. Cf. 
T. N i. 1. 1 : " If music be the food of love, play on." 

3. Billiards. An anachronism, as Malone and others have pointed 
out ; but cf. C. of E. p. 103. 

8. Show'd. S. uses both shotved and shown as the participle ; so 
bended (12 below) and bent. ' 



!86 NOTES. 

10. Angle. Angling-line. See Ham. p. 269. 

12. Tawny -fiuti'd. The folios have "Tawny fine" or "Tawny-fine;" 
corrected by Theo. 

15. '7 1 'was merry when, etc. See North, p. 152 above. 

18. Fervency. Eagerness ; the only instance of the word in S. Fer- 
vent does not occur in his works. 

22. Tires. Head-dresses. Cf. M. W. iii. 3. 60 : " thou hast the right 
arched beauty of the brow that becomes the ship-tire, the tire-valiant, or 
any tire of Venetian admittance." 

23. Philippan. S. names Antony's sword after the battle of Philippi ; 
though, as Theo. tells us, there was no such custom in Roman times. 

24. Ram. Hanmer changes the word to " Rain ;" and Delius conject- 
ures " Cram," as in Temp. ii. 1. 106. Malone compares J. C. v. 3. 74. 

26. Antony's dead! The reading of the 2d folio; the 1st has " An- 
thonyo V dead." The Camb. editors adopt Delius's conjecture of" Anto- 
nius dead !" 

27. Mistress. A trisyllable. Cf. frustrate in v. 1. 2 below. Gr. 477. 
30. Lipped. The verb occurs again in Oth. iv. 1. 72 : " To lip a wanton 

in a secure couch." 

32. We use. We are accustomed. We do not now use the present in 
this sense. See A. Y. L. p. 156. 

33. The dead are well. For this euphemism, cf. W. T. v. 1. 30, 2 Hen. 
IV. v. 2. 3, R. and J. iv. 5. 76, v. 1. 17, etc. As Henley remarks, this use 
of well seems to have been suggested by 2 Kings, iv. 26. 

38. So tart a favour. So sour a face. For favour, see Ham. p. 263, or 
M. N. D. p. 130. Hanmer reads " why so tart," and Malone " needs so 
tart." 

41. Formal. Ordinary, common. Cf. C of E. p. 144. Johnson ex- 
plains it as "decent, regular." 

44. Captive. The 2d folio misprints "captaine," and " Marke " for 
Make in 49 below ; and in both cases the later folios follow it. 

51. Precedence. What has gone before ; as in the only other instance 
in which S. uses the word — L. L. L. iii. 1. 83. The accent is on the 
penult there as here. 

64. Unhair. The only instance of the verb in S. £/«/wzW ( = beard- 
less) is a conjectural reading in K. John, v. 2. 133 (see our ed. p. 174). 

71. Boot thee with. Give thee to boot. 

74. Have made no fault. Cf. W. T. iii. 2. 218: "you have made fault;" 
Sonn. 35. 5 : " All men make faults," etc. 

75. Keep yourself within yourself. That is, do not get beside yourself 
with passion. Steevens compares T. of S. ind. 1. 100 : "we can contain 
ourselves." 

78. Melt Egypt into Nile! Cf. i. 1. 33 above : " Let Rome in Tiber 
melt." 

81. Afeard. Used by S. interchangeably with afraid, which Pope sub- 
stitutes here. Cf. iii. 3. 1 below. 

90. Worser. Used by S. some twenty times. Cf. i. 2. 57 above. 

97. Thou wouldst appear most ugly. That is, " this news hath made 
thee a most ugly man" (K. John, iii. 1. 37). 



ACT II. SCENE VI 187 

101. Much unequal. Very unjust. Cf. 2 Hen. IV. iv. I. 102: 

" To lay a heavy and unequal hand 
Upon our honours." 

103. That art not what thou Wt sure of. The reading of the folios, 
much tinkered by the editors. K. explains it thus: "Thou art not an 
honest man, of which thou art thyself assured, because thy master's fault 
has made a knave of thee." Clarke says : " Who art not thyself that 
fault which thou art so sure has been committed. The messenger has 
before said, ' I that do bring the news made not the match,' and 'I have 
made no fault ;' and he has so often repeated his assertion that Antony 
is married, that Cleopatra alludes to it as 'what thou 'rt sure of.'" V. 
thinks it may be = "Thou (the bearer) art not thyself the evil thing of 
which thou art so certain, and dost not merit to bear its odium ;" and 
this seems to us the simplest way of putting it. Of the emendations, the 
following are worth noting : " that sayst but what thou 'rt sure of" (Han- 
mer) ; and "That art not — What ? thou 'rt sure oft?" (Mason's conject- 
ure). W. changes not to "but," and explains the line thus: "being 
merely a messenger, you are to be regarded only according to the tenour 
of your message." He also takes that in the preceding line to be a 
demonstrative, and adds : " Cleopatra, in reply to the messenger's plea 
that he only performs his office, says, ' O that (namely, Antony's mar- 
riage), which is his fault, should make a knave of thee, that art but what 
thy tidings are.' " H. reads " art in what," etc. 

105. Are. The subject merchandise (=goods) is treated as a plural. 
Cf. tackle in ii. 2. 210 above. 

112. Feature. Personal appearance. Cf. K. John, ii. 1. 126: " Liker 
in feature to his father Geffrey." See also Id. iv. 2. 264, Rich. III. i. 1. 19, 
Hen. VIII. iii. 2. 50, Ham. iii. 1. 167, iii. 2. 25, Tear, iv. 2. 63, etc. S. uses 
the plural only in Temp. iii. I. 52. 

116. Though he be painted, etc. Alluding, as St. notes, to the "double " 
pictures formerly in vogue, of which Burton says : "Like those double or 
turning pictures ; stand before which you see a fair maid, on the one side 
an ape, on the other an owl." Cf. Chapman, All Fools, i. 1 : 

" But like a couzening picture, which one way 
Shows like a crow, another iike a swan." 

117. Way 'j. As in the 4th folio, and = " way he 's" (Hanmer's read- 
ing) ; " wayes " in the earlier folios. 

Scene VI.— 7. Tall. Stout, sturdy. Cf. T.JV.p. 123. 

13. Ghosted. Steevens quotes an instance of the verb from Burton, 
Anat. of Melan. preface : " What madnesse ghosts this old man ? but 
what madnesse ghosts us all ?" 

16. The all-honour 1 d. The 1st folio omits the, and in 19 misprints " his " 
for is. 

24. Fear. Frighten. Cf. M. of V. ii. 1. 9 : 



"this aspect of mine 
Hath fear'd the valiant." 



See also K. John, p. 147. 



■I 88 NOTES. 

27. Overcount me of my father's house. As Malone notes, "overcount 
seems to be used equivocally, and Pompey perhaps meant to insinuate 
that Antony not only outnumbered but had overreached him." According 
to Plutarch, " when Pompey's house was put to open sale, Antonius 
bought it ; but when they asked him money for it, he made it very 
strange, and was offended with them." See also p. 154 above. 

28. But since the citckoo builds not for himself etc. " Since, like the 
cuckoo, that seizes the nests of other birds, you have invaded a house 
which you could not build, keep it while you can " (Johnson). For other 
allusions to this habit of the cuckoo, cf. i Hen. IV. v. 1. 60 (see the long 
note in our ed. p. 195), Lear, i. 4. 235, and R. of L. 849. 

30. From the present. Away from, or foreign to, the present business. 
Gr. 158. 

34. To try a larger fortune. That is, in trying, or if you try, for more 
at the hands of Fortune. He hints that in risking the chances of war he 
may lose rather than gain. For the " indefinite " use of the infinitive, see 
Gr. 356. 

37. Greed. The reading of the 1st and 2d folios ; the 3d and 4th (fol- 
lowed by the modern eds.) have " 'greed." Cf. C. of E. p. 145, or Wb. 

39. Targes. Targets, shields ; as in Cymb. v. 5. 5, where, as here, the 
word is a monosyllable. See Gr. 471. 

42. Though I lose, etc. Clarke remarks : " The historical fact of Sextus 
Pompey's having courteously received Antony's mother in Sicily when 
she fled from Italy is recorded by Plutarch ; but the touch of delicacy in 
sentiment — declaring that to remind or reproach another with a benefit 
conferred is to forfeit the merit of it — is the dramatist's own exquisite 
addition. S. has more than once taken occasion to enforce this refine- 
ment in social morality ; he has made that noble-minded, warm-natured, 
delicate-souled being, Antonio, the sea-captain in T. N. (whom we can 
never help associating, in strange closeness of analogy, with S. himself in 
character and disposition), say [hi. 4. 383] : 

'Do not tempt my misery. 
Lest that it make me so unsound a man 
As to upbraid you with those kindnesses 
• That I have done for you. ' " 

47. Am well studied. Am studious or earnestly desirous. Cf. 2 Hen. 
IV. ii. 2. 10 : " so loosely studied ;" and M. of V. ii. 2. 205 : " well studied 
in a sad ostent," etc. Cf. Gr. 294, 374. 

51. Timelier. Earlier, sooner. Cf. Macb. p. 199. 

54. What counts harsh fortune casts. The metaphor, as Warb. notes, 
is from making marks or lines in casting accounts. 

66. Meanings. The folios have " meaning ;" but Heath's emendation 
is required by the following them. 

70. A certain queen, etc. Ritson says : " This is from the margin of 
North's Plutarch, 1579 : 'Cleopatra trussed up in a mattress, and so 
brought to Csesar upon Apollodorus' back ;' " but this marginal reference 
is to the following in the text: "She, only taking Apollodorus Sicilian 
of all her friends, took a little boat, and went away with him in it in the 
night, and came and landed hard by the foot of the castle. Then having 



ACT II. SCENE VII 



189 



no other mean to come into the court without being known, she laid her- 
self clown upon a mattress or flockbed, which Apollodorus her friend tied 
and bound up together like a bundle with a great leather thong, and so 
took her upon his back and brought her thus hampered in this fardle unto 
Caesar in at the castle gate. This was the first occasion (as it is report- 
ed) that made Caesar to love her : but afterwards, when he saw her sweet 
Conversation and pleasant entertainment, he fell then in further liking 
with her, and did reconcile her again unto her brother the king, with con- 
dition that they two jointly should reign together." 

73. Are tozvard. Are in preparation. Cf. T. of A. iii. 6. 68 : " Here 's 
a noble feast toward ;" T. of S. v. 1. 14 : " some cheer is toward," etc. 

83. Have known. That is, have known each other. Cf. Cymb. i. 4. 36 : 
" Sir, we have known together in Orleans." 

97. Whatsome'er. The reading of the 1st folio ( " whatsomere " ) ; 
changed to " whatsoe're" in the 2d. See A. W. p. 161. True — honest ; 
as often. For its use in antithesis to thief see Cymb. p. 182. 

no. Pray ye, sir? Are you in earnest? 

112. Is. For the singular verb with two singular subjects, see Gr. 336. 
Coll. prints the speech as a question. 

113. Divine of. Predict concerning. Cf. Rich. II. iii; 4. 79 : "divine 
his downfall," etc. 

120. Conversation. Behaviour, conduct. See 2 Hen. IV. p. 205. 
127. Occasion. Need, necessity (Schmidt). Cf. T. of A. iii. 3. 15 : "But 
his occasions might have wooed me first," etc. 

Scene VII. — 1. Enter . . . with a banquet. That is, with a dessert. 
Cf. T. and S. v. 2. 9 : 

" My banquet is to close our stomachs up 
After our great good cheer." 

Nares quotes Massinger, Unnatural Combat: 

"We '11 dine in the great room, but let the music 
And banquet be prepared here." 

Coll. adds, from lord Cromwell, 1602 : * 

"'T is strange, how that we and the Spaniard differ; 
Their dinner is our banquet after dinner." 

Plants. As Johnson notes, there seems to be a play on the word as 
applied to the soles of the feet (Latin plantd). Steevens cites Lupton, 
A T otable Things : "the plants or soles of the feet;" and Chapman, Iliad: 
"Even to the low plants of his feete." 

4. High-coloured. The 1st folio misprints " high Conlord." 

5. Alms-drink. Warb. says that this means "that liquor of another's 
share which his companion drinks to ease him." He sees also a satirical 
allusion to " Caesar and Antony's admitting him into the triumvirate, in 
order to take off from themselves the load of envy." Cf. % C. iv. 1. 18 
fol. 

6. Pinch one another by the disposition. A phrase = " touching one in a 
sore place" (Warb.) ; or "as they try each other by banter" (Clarke). 



I9 o NOTES. 

Coll. thinks that it refers to "the sign they give each other regarding the 
disposition of Lepidus to drink." 

13. Partisan. A kind of halberd. Cf. R. and J. i. 1. 80, 101, Ham. i. 
1. 140, etc. 

15. Are the holes, etc. The comparison is expressed elliptically : " is 
as sorry a blank as are the empty spaces," etc. (Clarke). In sphere we 
have an allusion to the old Ptolemaic astronomy. See Ham. p. 254. 
Disasters injure, disfigure ; the only instance of the verb in S. Schmidt 
remarks that it is "rather blunderingly used ;" but it was an astrological 
term and is probably suggested here by the figure that precedes. 

17. They take the flow 0' the A T ile, etc. S. probably got this information, 
either from Holland's Pliny, as Reed suggests, or from John Pory's 
translation of Leo's Hist, of Africa, 1600, as Malone thinks more prob- 
able. 

20. Poison. Full harvest, plenty; as in Temp. ii. I. 163, iv. I. no, 
Macb. iv. 3. 88, Sonn. 53. 9, etc. 

26. Your serpent, etc. For the colloquial use of your, see Gr. 221. 

33. In. That is, "in for it" { — drunk). 

34. Pyramises. The singular pyramis was in use in the time of S. (cf. 
I Hen. VI. i. 6. 21), but the plural is his own, and is probably intended as 
a touch of drunken enunciation. In v. 2. 61 below we have pyra?nides. 
The booziness of Lepidus is well hit off here. " His feeble attempt at 
scientific inquiry, in the remark concerning your serpent of Egypt, his 
flabbily persistent researches touching your crocodile, and his limp recur- 
rence to his pet expression strange serpent, are all conceived in the high- 
est zest of comic humour" (Clarke). 

40. This wine for Lepidus ! This is " the health that Pompey gives 
him " (52 below). 

44. It own. For the old possessive it, especially in combination with 
own, see W. T. p. 1 72. 

58. Held my cap off. Been a servant, been faithful. 

69. Inclips. Embraces, encloses. Cf. clip in iv. 8/8 below. On pales, 
cf. Cymb. iii. 1. 19 : " paled in With rocks," etc. 

7 'i. Competitors.. Partners, associates. See on i. 4. 3 above. 

74. There. Changed by Pope to " then." Steevens conjectures "theirs," 
but adds that there may be = "in the vessel." It may be accompanied 
with a gesture towards the company they have left. 

83. PaWd. Impaired, waning ; the only instance of this sense in S. 
See, however, Ham. p. 267, note on 9. 

85. This health to Lepidus ! But Lepidus is already " under the table," 
so to speak. We have heard nothing from him since Antony admonished 
him (61 above) that he was about to "sink." 

93. Then, is drunk. The folios have " then he is ;" corrected by Rowe. 

94 Go on wheels ! " The world goes on wheels " was a common phrase 
of the time. Taylor the Water-Poet took it for the title of one of his 
pamphlets. 

95. Reels, Apparently suggested by drunk, and used for the sake of 
the rhyme to wheels. Cf. 118 below. Steevens conjectured "grease the 
wheels " for increase the reels f 



ACT IL SCENE VII. jgj 

98. Strike the vessels. Probably = " tap the casks," as most of the edi- 
tors have explained it. Weber cites Fletcher, Monsieur Thomas, v. 10 : 
" Home, Launce, and strike a fresh piece of wine," etc. The word vessels 
also favours this explanation, being elsewhere used of casks or large ves- 
sels ; as in T. of A. ii. 2. 186 : " If I would broach the vessels of my love," 
etc. Some, however, make strike the vessels— strike your cups together. 
Clarke, who adopts this explanation, objects to the other that Antony 
would hardly give an order for tapping fresh casks when Pompey was the 
entertainer ; but the carousal had now reached a point where none of the 
company would stand overmuch upon etiquette. Ritson quotes Oth. ii. 3. 
71 : " And let me the canakin clink, clink !" 

102. Possess it. " Be master of it " (Schmidt) ; or " occupy it, fill it up " 
(Clarke). The reading is perhaps doubtful. The Coll. MS. has " Pro- 
fess," which occurred independently to W. ; and St. conjectures " Pro- 
pose." 

112. The holding. The "burden" of the song. For bear the folios 
have " beate " or " beat ;" corrected by Theo. 

115. Pink ey tie. Winking or half-shut eyes (the effect of intoxication) ; 
with perhaps a reference to the other sense of red. Johnson in his Diet. 
defines a pink eye as "a small eye," and quotes this passage in illustra- 
tion. Nares quotes Fleming, Nomenclator : " Ayant fort petits yeux. 
That hath little eyes : pink-eyed ;" and Wilkins, Alph. Diet. : " pink- 
eyed, narrow eyed." For the old plural eyne, cf. M. N. D. i. 1. 242, ii. 2. 
99, iii. 2. 138, v. 1. 178, etc. We find it without the rhyme in P. of L. 1229 
and Per. iii. prol. 5. 

116. Fats. "Vats" (Pope's reading). Cf. Joel,\\. 24, iii. 13. See also 
Baret, Alvearie : " A fat, or vat. Orca." 

117. Hairs. For the plural, cf. M. of V. i. 2. 9, iii. 2. 120, C. of E. iii. 2. 
48, etc. Here, however, it may be used because more than one person 
is referred to. Cf. Rich. II. p. 206, note on Sights. 

125. The tvild disguise, etc. The wild intoxication hath almost made 
antics or buffoons (cf. Rich. II, p. 192) of us all. Clarke remarks : " The 
discriminative characterization developed in each of the revellers — Lepi- 
dus's fatuity and solemn dulness floundering beneath the overpowering 
effect of the repeated healths or toasts with which he is plied; Octavius's 
reluctance at the subversion of his cold equanimity by the riot of the 
carousal and the effect of the wine ; Enobarbus's mad spirits — yet he 
even at length giving token of being ' weaker than the wine ;' Pompey's 
capita] bit of maudlin (' O Antony, you have my father's house — But, 
what ! we are friends '), half lingering resentment, half drunken magna- 
nimity of forgiveness ; the untouched strength of the seasoned Mark 
Antony, able to bear any amount of drained cups ; together with the rich 
gusto and classical grape-crowned animation of the whole scene, combine 
to render this one of the most magnificently painted orgy-descriptions 
ever set down on paper. It glows before our eyes like a Rubens canvas. 
. . . The finishing the whole with a shout and a flinging-up of caps puts the 
finishing stroke of climax to this finely conceived scene of wild vivacity." 

130. Take heed, etc. The 1st folio (followed substantially by the oth- 
ers) reads : 



I92 NOTES. 

" Eno. Take heed you fall not Menas : Tie not on shore 
No to my Cabin:" etc. 

The editors have divided the speech in various ways ; the arrangement 
in the text is Capell's. 

135. Hoo! See on iii. 2. 11 below, and Cor. p. 220. 



ACT III. 

Scene I. — 1. Struck. "Alludes to darting: thou whose darts have 
so often struck others art struck now thyself" (Johnson). 

4. Thy Pacorus, etc. Pacorus was the son of Orodes, king of Parthia. 

10. Chariots. Walker and D. conjecture " chariot ;" but, as Clarke 
remarks, " a plural form, used in this way, is not unfrequent among poets 
and poetic writers or speakers, to give the effect of amplitude and gen- 
eralization." 

13. May make too great an act. Make an act too great ; that is, as the 
context shows, because it may excite the jealousy of one's superior in 
office. 

15. Him we serve's away. For the "confusion of construction" (or 
"attraction," as some prefer to call it), cf. A. Y. L. i. I. 46 : "Ay, better 
than him I am before knows me," etc. See Gr. 208, and cf. 410. Pope 
of course changed him to " he." 

24. Darkens him. Obscures himself. Cf. Cor. iv. 7. 5 : 

"And you are darken'd in this action, sir, 
Even by your own." 

28. The which. See Gr. 287. 

29. Grants. Affords, allows. Warb. remarks : "The sense is this: 
'Thou hast that, Ventidius, which if thou didst want, there would be no 
distinction between thee and thy sword. You would be both equally 
cutting and senseless.' This was wisdom or knowledge of the world." 

34. Jaded. Driven like jades, or worthless nags (cf. Rich. II. p. 219). 

Scene II. — 6. '7" is. Used contemptuously ; as in M. of V. iii. 3. 18, 
Hen. V. iii. 6. 70, R. and J. iv. 2. 14, etc. For the familiar use, cf. Macb. 
p. 168. 

11. Hoo I The 1st folio has " How," the later folios " Oh !" or " Oh ?" 
The folio often has how for ho or hoo, and we follow Clarke in reading 
the latter here as a favourite exclamation of Enobarbus. He adds: " The 
breathless fun of the present dialogue, its hurry of hyperbolical phrases 
heaped one atop of the other, as the speakers tumble them out in emula- 
tion of each other, for representation of what Lepidus says in exaggerated 
praise of both his objects of admiration, make one feel that S. himself 
enjoyed writing it." 

12. Thou Arabian bird! The phoenix. Cf. Cymb. i. 6. 17: "She is 
alone the Arabian bird ;" Temp. iii. 3. 22 : 



ACT III. SCENE II. I9 3 

" Now I will believe 
That there are unicorns, that in Arabia 
There is one tree, the phoenix' throne, one phoenix 
At this hour reigning there," etc. 

16. Hoof The reading of the first three folios ; the 4th folio and most 
modern eds. have " Ho !" 

17. Cast. Compute ; as in Sonn. 49. 3, 2 Hen. IV. v. 1. 21, etc. Cf. ii. 
6. 54 above. 

JVzt77iber=expvess in 7iutnbers,ox verse; the only instance of this sense 
in S. 

20. Shards. The horny wing-cases of the "sharded" {Cymb. iii. 3. 20) 
or " shard-borne beetle " (Alacb. iii. 2. 42). The meaning is : " they are 
the wings that raise this heavy lumpish insect from the ground" (Stee- 
vens). 

26. As my farthest band, etc. "As I will venture the greatest pledge 
of security on the trial of thy conduct " (Johnson) ; or, as I will pledge 
any thing that you will prove to be. For ba7id~hor\d, cf. Rich. II. i. 1. 2, 
I Hen. IV. iii. 2. 157, C. of E. iv. 2. 49, etc. For approof cf. A. W. ii. 5. 
3 : "of very valiant approof" (=of approved valour), and see also Id. i. 
2.50. 

28. Piece ofvii'tne. Cf. Te7?ip. i. 2. 56: "Thy mother was a piece of 
virtue ;" and Per. iv. 6. 118 : " Thou art a piece of virtue." For similar 
examples of piece— masterpiece, see W. T. iv. 4. 32, Tear, iv. 6. 137, and 
v. 2. 99 below. 

29. Cement. S. accents both the noun and the verb (which occurs only 
in ii. 1. 48 above) on the first syllable. 

32. Mea7i. Means ; as often. Cf. iv. 6. 35 below, and see R. a7id J. 
p. 189. 

35. Curious. Careful, punctilious, scrupulous. See A. W. p. 138 or 
Cymb. p. 179. 

40. The eleme77ts, etc. The wish probably refers to her voyage to 
Egypt. Cf. Oth. ii. 1. 45 : 

" O let the heavens 
Give him defence against the elements, 
For I have lost him on a dangerous sea!" ■ 

Johnson explained it: "May the different ele7ne7tts of the body, or princi- 
ples of life, maintain such proportion and harmony as may keep you 
cheerful." Cf. J. C. v. 5. 73, and see our ed. p. 185. 

43. The April \y i7i her eyes. Cf. T. a7id C. i. 2. 189: "he will weep 
you, an 't were a man born in April." 

49. At full of tide, etc. Cf. 2 He7i. IV. ii. 3. 63 : 

" As with the tide swell'd up unto his height, 
That makes a still-stand, running neither way." 

52. Were he a horse. " A horse is said to have a cloud in his face when 
he has a black or dark-coloured spot between his eyes. This gives him 
a sour look, and, being supposed to indicate an ill temper, is of course 
regarded as a blemish " (Steevens). 

57. Rheum. Cf. T. a7id C. v. 3. 105: "and I have a rheum in mine 
eyes too, arid such an ache in my bones," etc. See Wb. 

N 



194 



NOTES. 



58. Confound. Destroy ; as in ii. 5. 92 above. Wail 1 d=ht\\2L\\z<\ ; as 
often. Cf. V. and A. 1017, C. of E. iv. 2. 24, Cor. iv. 1. 26, etc. 

59. Wept. The folios have "weepe" or " weep," which Steevens de- 
fended. The editors generally adopt wept, which is due to Theo. 

62. Wrestle. The 1st and 2d folios have " wrastle," which is still the 
vulgar pronunciation. 

Scene III. — 2. Go to, go to. The 1st folio prints it "Go too, go too." 
3. Herod of yewry. See on i. 2. 27 above. 

14. As me. See Gr. 210. • 

22. Station. Mode of standing. Cf. Ham. iii. 4. 58 : " A station like 
the herald Mercury," etc. 

24. Breather. Cf. Sonn. 81. 11 : " When all the breathers of this world 
are dead." See also A. Y. L. iii. 2. 297. 

25. Observance. Observation. Cf. A. W. iii. 2. 5 : " By what observ- 
ance, I pray you?" Oth. iii. 3. 151 : " Out of his scattering and unsure 
observance," etc. So make better note = he better observers. 

37. As low as. Capell conjectured "Lower than;" but the original 
is a cant phrase with that meaning. 

41. Proper. " Nice ;" often used in a complimentary way. See Temp. 
ii. 2. 63, T. G. of V. iv. 1. 10, etc. 

43. Harried. Worried, used roughly ; the only instance of the word 
in S. Minsheu, in his Diet., 1617, defines the word, "To turmoile or 
vexe." 

44. No such thing. That is, no such remarkable thing, nothing ex- 
traordinary. 

46. Defend. Forbid. Cf. Much Ado, ii. 1. 98 : " God defend the lute 
should be like the case !" etc. 

Scene IV. — 3. Semblable. Like, similar ; as in 1 Hen. IV. v. 1. 72, 
Ham. v. 2. 124, etc. 

9. Not took V. The 1st folio has "not look 't," and the 2d " had look 
't ;" corrected by Theo. Rowe reads " o'er-look'd," and the Coll. MS. 
has " but look'd." 

10. From his teeth. That is, for form's sake, not from his heart. Cf. 
Dryden, Wild Gallant: " I am confident she is only angry from the teeth 
outward." 

12. Stomach. Resent. See on ii. 2. 9 above. 

15. Presently. At once ; as in ii. 2. 159 above. 

16. O, bless my lord, etc. Cf. K. John, iii. 1. 331 fol. 

27. Stain. Eclipse, throw into the shade. Cf. Sonn. 35. 3 : "Clouds 
and eclipses stain both moon and sun ;" and Rich. II. iii. 3. 66 : 

"To dim his glory, and to stain the track 
Of his bright passage to the Occident." 

Theo. reads '" strain," Rann "'stain" (^sustain), and Coll. "stay" (Bos- 
well's conjecture). 

28. Your desires are yours. You have what you desire. 

32. Solder. The 1st and 2d folios have " soader " and the others 
" sodder." 



ACT III. -SCENE VI. 



195 



Scene V. — 5. Success. Issue, that which succeeds or follows ; as in ii. 
4. 9 above. Cf. T. and C. ii. 2. 117 : " Nor fear of bad success," etc. 

7. Rivality. Copartnership, equality ; the only instance of the word- 
in S. Cf. rivals — associates, companions; as in Ham. i. I. 13: "The 
rivals of my watch," etc. 

10. Appeal. Impeachment. See Rich. II. p. 150. £//5=shut up. 

12. Then, world, thou hast. The folios have " Then would thou hast ;" 
corrected by Hanmer. 

A pair of chaps, no more. The comma was first inserted by Theo. 

13. And throzv bettveen them, etc. " Caesar and Antony will make war 
on each other, though they have the world to prey upon between them " 
(Johnson). 

14. The one the other. The folios have simply " the other ;" corrected 
by Capell (Johnson's conjecture). Hanmer reads "each other." 

19. More, Domitius, etc. " I have something more to tell you, which 
I might have told at first, and delayed my news : Antony requires your 
presence " (Johnson). 

Scene VI. — 3. /' the market-place, etc. See North, p. 157 above. 

9. Stablishment. Settled inheritance ; the only instance of the word 
jn S. Establishment he does not use at all, though he has both establish 
and stablish (1 Hen. IV. v. 1. 10). 

10. Lydia. Johnson adopts Upton's conjecture of " Lybia " (from 
Plutarch), but North has "Lydia." 

13. He there. The folios have " hither ;" corrected by Johnson. 

20. Who. That is, the people of Rome. Queasy zvith — disgusted with. 
23. Who. The reading of the 1st folio, changed in the 2d to " Whom." 

Cf. M. of V. ii. 6. 30 : " For who love I so much ?" Cor. ii. 1. 8: " Who 
does the wolf love ?" etc. Gr. 274. 

29. Being i That is, he being deposed. The folios have " And being 
that, we " or " And being that we." Rowe corrected the pointing. 

39. Enter Octavia ivith her train. The stage-direction in the folios. 
Some omit with her train, as inconsistent with what follows ; but Caesar 
simply wonders that she comes with so small a retinue. Antony had told 
her (iii. 4. 37 above) to take what "company" she pleased. 

52. Ostentation. Changed by Theo. to " ostent," for the sake of the 
metre. Walker conjectures " ostention." 

53. Left unload. The Coll. MS. has " held " for left, and Sr. conject- 
ures "felt;" but it is not unlikely that S. wrote left unlov'd, which cer- 
tainly suggests the meaning, though something 0/ logical precision is 
sacrificed to the antithesis. The editors of the last century were not 
troubled by it, and it is retained by Coll. (in spite of his MS.), D., K., V., 
Clarke, and the Camb. ed. St. conjectures " left unpriz'd," and W. adopts 
" held " without comment. Schmidt says that left unlov'd is = " not felt ; 
to love a love being a phrase like to think a thought, etc." 

61. Obstruct. The folios have " abstract," which Schmidt explains as 
" the shortest way for him and his desires, the readiest opportunity to 
encompass his wishes." Obstruct was suggested by Warb., and is gen- 
erally adopted by the editors. 



196 



NOTES. 



67. Who. Referring to both of therri. 

69. Bocchus, the king of Libya, etc. See North, p. 158 above. 
76. More larger. See Gr. n. 

Ay me. Changed by Hanmer and others to " Ah, me !" but see C. of 
E. p. 142. 

80. Wrong led. Misled; changed by Capell to "wrong'd." 

81. lit negligent danger. In danger from being negligent. 

88. Make them. The folios have " makes his " or " make his ;" cor- 
rected by Capell. Theo. reads "make their." Coll. gave "make his" 
(referring "his " to justice) in his 1st ed., but in his 2d he adopts Capell's 
reading. 

89. Best of comfort. " May the best of comfort be yours !" (Steevens). 
Rowe reads " Be of comfort." 

95. Regiment. Rule, sway. Z?^///=harlot ; as in 1 Hen. IV. ii. 2. 28, 
etc. Johnson remarks that the word was not "a term of mere infamy, 
but one of slight contempt, as wench is now ;" but there can be no doubt 
of its meaning here. Cf. 66 above. 

96. Noises it. Is noisy, or raises a disturbance. For the use of it, see 
Gr. 226. 

98. Dear'st. For contracted superlatives, see Gr. 473. 

Scene VIL — 3. Forspoke. Spoken against, gainsaid. It often meant 
" to bewitch, or destroy by speaking " (Nares) ; as in Drayton, Her. 
Epist. : 

"Their hellish power, to kill the ploughman's seed 
Or to forspeake whole flocks as they did feed ;" 

The Witch of Edmonton: 

" That my bad tongue, by their bad usage made so, 
Forespeakes their cattle, doth bewitch their corn ;" 

and Burton, Anat. of Melan.: "They are in despair, surely* forespoken, 
or bewitched." 

5. Is V not denounced against us ? Is not the war declared against us ? 
See North, p. 158 above : "he proclaimed open war against Cleopatra," 
etc. Cf. the use of denunciation ( = formal declaration) in M.for M. i. 2. 
152. The folios read " If not, denounc'd," etc. Malone has " If not, de- 
nounce 't ;" and Steevens, " Is 't not ? Denounce," etc. The reading in 
the text is Rowe's. 
-20. Take in Toryne. Capture Toryne. See on i. 1. 23 above. 

23. Becom'd. For the form, cf. Cymb. v. 5. 406 : " He would have well 
becom'd this place." See also R. and J. p. 204. 

26. For that. Because. Gr. 151, 287. 

32. Muleters. Muleteers. The 1st folio has " milkers," the other folios 
" muliters," which is the spelling in North. Cf. 1 Hen. VI. iii. 2. 68 : 
"base muleters of France !" Similar forms are " enginer " (see Ham. 
p. 241), "pioner " {Ham. p. 198, or Oth. p. 190), "mutiner " {Cor. p. 202), 
etc. 

33. Ingross^d by s7vift impress. Got together by a hurried impressment 
or levy. Cf. Ham. i. 1. 75 : "impress of shipwrights," etc. 



ACT III. SCENES VI II., IX., AND X. jgy 

35. Yare. Light and manageable. Cf. North: "light of yarage." See 
also on- ii. 2. 212 above. 

36. Fall you. Befall you, come to you. Cf. K. John, p. 133, note on 
Fair fall, etc. 

44. Merely. Entirely, absolutely. See Temp. p. in, note on We are 
merely cheated, etc. 

54. Power. Force, army. Cf. J. C. p. 168, note on Are levying pozvers. 

57. My Thetis ! My sea-nymph ! 

65. But his zvhole action, etc. Johnson explains this : " His whole 
conduct becomes ungoverned by the right, or by reason ;" but we think 
it rather means that .his action does not rest on that which makes its 
strength. Malone puts it thus : " His whole conduct in the war is not 
founded upon that which is his greatest strength (namely, his land force), 
but on the caprice of a woman, who wishes that he should fight by sea." 

69. Marcus Octavius, etc. In the folios this speech is assigned to 
" Ven. ;" corrected by Pope. Coll. thinks that " Ven." may be an ab- 
breviation of Vennard, the name of an actor. Cf. T. of S. p. 127, note on 
86. 

72. Carries. Has a range ; probably from archery, as Steevens sug- 
gests. Cf. 2 Hen. IV. iii. 2. 52 : " he would have carried you a forehand 
shaft a fourteen and fourteen and a half," etc. 

73. Distractions. Divisions, detachments. Cf. L. C. 231 : "Their dis- 
tract parcels." 

77. Throes forth. Cf. Temp. ii. 1. 231 : 

" a birth indeed 
Which throes thee much to yield." 

Scene VIII. — 5. Prescript. Direction, order; like prescription in Hen. 
VIII. i. 1. 151. 

6. Jump. Hazard, stake ; the only instance of the noun in S. Cf. the 
verb in Macb. i. 7. 7 (see our ed. p. 177), Cor. iii. 1. 154, and Cymb. v. 4. 
188. 

Scene IX. — 1. Yond. Not a contraction of yonder, as often printed. 
See Temp. p. 121. 

2. Battle. Army ; as in K. John, iv. 2. 78, Hen. V. iv. chor. 9, etc. 

Scene X. — 2. Antoniad. The name of Cleopatra's ship. See North, 
p. 158 above. 

5. Synod. In five out of the six passages in which S. uses the word, it 
refers to an assembly of the gods. See A. Y. L. p. 173. 

6. Cantle. Piece; literally, corner. See I Hen. IV. p. 173. 

7. With. By ; as often. Gr. 193. 

9. Tokened. Spotted. " The death of those visited by the plague was 
certain when particular eruptions appeared on the skin ; and these were 
called God's tokens'" (Steevens). Cf. the use of the noun in L. L. L. v. 
2:423 (where there is a play upon the word) : 

"They have the plague, and caught it of your eyes; 
These lords are visited ; you are not free, 
For the Lord's tokens on you do I see ;" 



198 

and T. and C. ii. 3. 187 



NOTES. 



"He is so plaguey proud that the death-tokens of it 
Cry ' no recovery.' " 

10. Ribaudred. Lewd, profligate. Some have thought the word a cor- 
ruption of ribaud or ribald; but " ribaudrous " and "ribauldous" are 
forms found in Baret and other writers of the time, and ribaudred may 
have been another then in use. Hanmer reads " ribauld," and Malone 
"ribald-rid." Coll. has "ribald hag," and Sr. "ribaudred hag." 

13. The elder. The superior. Steevens compares (misquoting, as often) 

J. C. ii. 2. 46 : 

"We are two lions litter'd in one day, 
And I the elder and more terrible." 

14. Brize. Gadfly. Cf. T. and C. i. 3. 48 : 

"The herd hath more annoyance by the brize 
Than by the tiger." 

17, Loofd. Luffed, brought close to the wind; the only instance of 
the word in S. *Coll. suggests that it may be = "aloof'd" (from aloof). 

19. Mallard. Drake. Cf. the allusions to the timidity of the wild duck 
in 1 Hen. IV. ii. 2. 108 and iv. 2. 21. 

28. Are you thereabouts ? Is that your opinion? Cf. W. T. i. 2.378: 
"'t is thereabouts." 

31. 'T is easy to V. It is easy to go there. Attend—wzit for. 

35. Wounded chance. " Broken fortunes " (Malone). Johnson con- 
jectured " chase " for chance. 

36. Sits. Often used of the direction of the wind. Cf. Much Ado, ii. 
3. 102, M. o/V.'i. 1.8, Rich. II. ii. 1. 265, ii. 2. 123, etc. 

Scene XL — 3. Lated. Belated ; but not a contraction of that word. 
Cf. Macb. iii. 3. 6 : " the lated traveller ;" and see our ed. p. 213. 

1 7. Sweep your way. Cf. Ham. iii. 4. 204 : " they must sweep my way," 
etc. 

18. Loathness. Unwillingness, reluctance ; as in Temp. ii. 1. 13c and 
Cymb. i. 1. 108. *■ 

21. Possess you. Put you in possession. 

23. For indeed I have lost command. Let me entreat you to leave 
me ; for indeed I have lost all power to command you to go (Steevens). 
Johnson explains it : " For I am not master of my own emotions." 

35. He at Philippi, etc. Caesar at Philippi kept his sword in the scab- 
bard, like one wearing it in the dance. Cf. A. W. ii. 1. 33 : 

"no sword worn 
But one to dance with ;" 

and see our ed. p. 146. 

37. The lean and wrinkled Cassius. Cf. J. C. i. 2. 194 fol. 

38. Ended. Cf. iv. 14. 22 below. 

39. Dealt on lieutenantry. Acted by his lieutenants, fought by proxy. 
Cf. iii. 1. 16 above : 

" Ca2sar and Antony have ever won 
More in their officer than person." 



ACT III. SCENES XII AND XIII 



199 



40. Squares. Squadrons ; as in Hen. V. iv. 2. 28 : " our squares of 
battle." 

44. Unqualified. Unmanned, deprived of his natural qualities. 

47. Seize. The 1st folio has "cease." But— unless. 

50. Unnoble. Elsewhere S. uses ignoble. 

52. How I convey my shame, etc. " How, by looking another way, I 
withdraw my ignominy from your sight " (Johnson). 

54. Stroy'd. Destroyed ; but not a contraction of that word. See W b. 

57. The strings. That is, the heart-strings. 

58. Tow. The folios have "stowe ;" corrected by Rowe. 

59. Thy full. " The full " in the folios ; corrected by Theo. 

62. Treaties. Proposals for a treaty. Cf. K. John, ii. 1. 481 : 

" Why answer not the double majesties 
This friendly treaty of our threaten'd town?" 

63. Palter. Shuffle, equivocate. See J. C. p. 145, or Macb. p. 254. 
69. Fall. For the transitive use, cf. R. of L. 155 1 : "every tear he 

falls," etc. See also y C. p. 169, note on They fall their crests. 

Rafes=ra.tes as much as, is worth. 

71. Schoolmaster. Euphronius, the preceptor of his children by Cleo- 
patra. 

Scene XII. — 3. Argument. Proof; as in Much Ado, ii. 3. 243 : "no 
great argument of her folly," etc. < 

5. Which. Who ; as often. Gr. 265. 

10. His. Its ; that is, " of the sea from which the dew-drop is ex- 
haled" (Steevens). 

12. Requires. Requests, asks. Cf. Hen. VIII. ii. 4.. 144: "In humblest 
manner I require your highness," etc. 

18. Circle. Crown ; as in K. yohn, v. 1.2: " The circle of my glory." 
Cf. round in Macb. i. 2. 59 and iv. I. 88. 

28. And in our name, etc. W. conjectures that we should read 

"What she requires; and in our name add more 
Offers from thine invention ;" 

and Walker : 

and more 
From thine invention offer." 

31. Thy reus. The folios have (as in iii. 13. 73 below) "Thidias;" cor- 
rected by Theo. 

34. Becomes his flaw. " Conforms himself to this breach of his fortune :l 
(Johnson). 

36. Power. That is, bodily organ. Steevens compares T. and C. iv, 
5- 57- 

Scene XIII. — i. Think, and die. Despond and die. Hanmer reads 
"Drink" and Tyrwhitt conjectures "Wink" for Think; but the word 
has the same meaning as "take thought" in y. C. ii. 1. 187: "take 
thought, and die for Caesar." See our ed. p. 146. Cf. iv. 6. 35 below. 

5. Ranges. Ranks; the only instance of the noun in S. 



200 NOTES. 

8. NicEd. " Set the mark of folly on " (Steevens). Cf. C. of E. v. i. 
175 : "nicks him like a fool ;" and see our ed. p. 146. 

10. The mered question. ."The only cause of the dispute, the only 
subject of the quarrel" (Mason). Mered seems to be formed from mere, 
which Rowe substituted. Some take it to be from meere, to divide, and 
=limited. Cf. Spenser, Ruines of Rome, 22. 2 : " Which mear'd her rule 
with Africa," etc. Johnson conjectured "mooted," and Mitford "ad- 
mired." 

11. Course. Follow, like a hunter coursing or chasing game. Cf. Macb. 
p. 175, note on Cours d. 

26. Comparisons. This may be = " comparative advantages," as sev- 
eral of the editors explain it ; but we strongly suspect that it is a mis- 
print for " caparisons," as Pope considered it. Cf. V. and A. 286 : " For 
rich caparisons or trapping gay." 

27. Declined. Fallen in fortune ; as in T. and C. iii. 3. 76 and iv. 5. 
189. W. thinks we should read "sword against sword declin'd" (cf. the 
second passage in T. and C). 

29. High-battled. Commanding proud armies (cf. battle in iii. 9. 2 
above). ; 

30. Unstate. Divest of state or dignity. Cf. Lear, i. 2. 108 : " I would, 
unstate myself," etc. 

Staged. Exhibited as on a stage. Cf. v. 2. 217 below. See also M.for 
M. i. I. 69 : " to stage me to their eyes." 

31. Sworder. Gladiator; as in 2 Hen. VI. iv. I. 135: "A Roman 
sworder and banditto slave." 

32. A parcel of. "Of a piece with" (Steevens). 
34. Stiffer. Suffer loss or injury. 

41. Square. Quarrel. See on ii. 1. 45 above. 

42. The loyalty, etc. That is, to be loyal to fools is to make our fidelity 
mere folly. Theo. changed The to " Tho'." 

46. Earns a place ? the story. That is, wins renown, is esteemed a 
hero. 

55. CcEsar. The 1st folio has " Caesars," and Malone reads " Ceesar's." 

71. Shroud. Shelter, protection. Cf. the verb, in 3 Hen. VI. iii. I. 1 : 
" Under this thick-grown brake we '11 shroud ourselves," etc. See also 
Spenser, F. Q. i. I. 6: "That everie wight to shrowd it did constrain" 
(that is, the rain compelled them to seek shelter). The Coll. MS. adds 
" who is " after shroud. 

74. Deputation. The folios have " disputation ;" corrected by Theo. 
(the conjecture of Warb.). In deputation— \yj deputy or proxy. 

77. All-obeying. Which all obey. Johnson conjectured "all-obeyed." 
See Gr. 372. 

80. If that. For that as a "conjunctional affix," see Gr. 287. 

81. Give me grace. Grant me the favour. 

83. Takiiig kingdo?ns in. See on i. 1. 23 above. 
85. As. As if. Cf. i. 2. 93 above and iv. 1. 1 below. 
87. Fullest. Most complete, " full-fraught " {Hen. V. ii. 2. 139). Cf. 
Oth. ii. 1. 36 : "a full soldier " (that is, a perfect one). 
91. A muss. "A scramble, when any small objects are thrown down, 



ACT III. SCENE XIII. 201 

to be taken by those who can seize them" (Nares). Cf. B. J., Magnetic 

Lady, iv. I : 

"The moneys rattle not, nor are they thrown 
To make a muss yet 'mong the gamesome suitors ;" 

Middleton, Spanish Gipsy: "They '11 throw down gold in musses;" and 
Dry den, pro!, to Widow Ranter: 

"Bauble and cap no sooner are thrown down, 
But there 's a muss of more than half the town." 

93. Jack. For the contemptuous use, cf. Rich. III. i. 3. 72 : 

"Since every Jack became a gentleman, 
There 's many a gentle person made a Jack." 

See also Much Ado, p. 164. 

98. Of she here. Cf. Oth. iv. 2. 3 : "you have seen Cassio and she to- 
gether," etc. Gr. 211. 

109. Feeders. " Parasites " (Schmidt) ; as in T. of A. ii. 2. 168 : " riot- 
ous feeders." Some make it ^servants. 

112. Seel. Blind; originally a term of falconry. See Macb. p. 212. 

120. Luxtiriously. Wantonly, lewdly. The only sense of luxury in S. 
is lust (see Ham. p. 196, or Hen. V. p. 166) ; and so with its derivatives. 

121. Temperance. Chastity; as in R. of L. 884: "Thou blow'st the 
fire when temperance is thaw'd." 

124. Quit. Requite; as in 151 below. 

127. The hill of Basan. See Ps. lxviii. 15, and cf. Ps. xxii. 12. 

131. Yare. Ready, prompt. See on iii. 7. 35 above. 

146. Orbs. Spheres. See on ii. 7. 14 above, and cf. iv. 15. 10 below. 

149. Enfranchised. The folios have "enfranched;" corrected by Theo. 
Cf. North, p. 161 above. 

157. Ties his points? Does menial service ; literally, fastens the points, 
or tagged lacings, of his trunk-hose. See T. of S. p. 150, or W. T. p. 196. 

161. Determines. Comes to an end, dissolves. Cf. iv. 3. 2 below. 

162. Ccesarion. Cf. iii. 6. 6 above. The. folios have "smile" for smite ; 
corrected by Hanmer. 

165. Discandying. Melting. The folios have "discandering ;" cor- 
rected by Theo. (the conjecture of Thirlby). Rowe reads "discattering." 
Cf. iv. 12. 22 below. K. retains "discandering," which he takes to be 
= " dis-squandering " (cf. " squandered " =scattered, in M. of V. i. 3. 22). 

171. Fleet. "Float" (Rowe's reading). Steevens cites Edward II: 
"This isle shall fleet upon the ocean;" Tamburlaine, 1590 : "fleeting 
with the tide," etc. See also Spenser, F. Q. ii. 12. 14 : 

"one of those same Islands which doe fleet 
In the wide sea ;" 

Colin Clouts Come Home Againe, 286 : " That seemd amid the surges for 
to fleet," etc. 

175. Will earn our chro7iicle. "Will do such acts as shall deserve to 
be recorded " (Malone). Cf. 46 above. 

180. Nice. Dainty, delicate, effeminate. 



n 



202 NOTES. 

183. Gaudy. Joyous, festive; "still an epithet bestowed on feast days 
in the colleges of either university" (Steevens). "The etymology of the 
word," says Blount in his Diet., " may be taken from Judge Gawdy, who 
(as some affirm) was the first institutor of those days ; or rather from 
gaudium, because (to say truth) they are days of joy, as bringing good 
cheer to the hungry students." 
y. 191. Peep. For the ellipsis of to, see Gr. 349. Cf. iv. 6. 9 below. 

192. There '•$■ sap in 7 yet. Cf. Lear, iv. 6. 206 : " there 's life in 't." 

197. Estridge. Ostrich. See I Hen. IV. p. 188. 
I 199. Preys on. The folios have "in " for on ; corrected by Rowe. 



ACT IV. 

Scene I. — 1. As. As if. See on iii. 13. 85 above. 

5. I have many other ways to die. Hanmer changed this to " He hath," 
etc., on the ground that Caesar would not admit the probability of An- 
tony's killing him ; but it is probably said ironically. It is possible, 
however, that S. was misled by the ambiguous wording of the passage in 
North. See p. 162 above. 

9. Make boot of. Take advantage of. 

14. Fetch him in. Capture him. Cf. Cymb. iv. 2. 141 : 

"and swear 
He 'd fetch us in." 

Scene II. — 7. Wodt. Provincial for wouldst thou or wilt thou. See 
Ham. p. 265. Cf. iv. 15. 59 below. 

8. Take all. "Let the survivor take all. No composition ; victory or 
death" (Johnson). Cf. Lear, iii. I. 15: "And bids what will take all." 
Coll. says it is "an expression from the gaming-table, meaning, let all 
depend upon this hazard." 

25. Period. End. 

26. Or if, a mangled shadow. " Or if you see me more, you will see 
me a mangled shadow, only the external form of what I was " (Johnson). 
Cf. Gr. 64. 

33. Yield. Reward. Cf. " God 'ield you !" in Ham. iv. 5. 41 ; and see 
our ed. p. 247, or Macb. p. 175. 

35. Onion-eyed. See on i. 2. 161 above. 

36. Ho, ho, ho! Used as an expression of mockery or rebuke. Cf. 
M.N.D. iii. 2.421, T. of A. i. 2. 22, 117, etc. Some make it = "stop, de- 
sist" ^—whoa, as addressed to a horse). 

44. Death and honour. An honourable death. 

Scene III. — 5. Belike. It is likely, probably. Cf. i. 2. 34 above. 

13. Music z' the air. See North, p. 162 above. 

14. Signs well. Is a good sign or omen. 

23. Give off. Give out, cease. In K. John, v. 1. 27, the phrase is transi- 
tive ( = resign). 



ACT IV. SCENES IV, V, AND VI. 203 

Scene IV.— 2.- Chuck. Chick. Cf. Macb.p. 212. 
? 5SJ *»«■ The folios have " thine " for mine; corrected by Han- 
me 3 ;. Malone explains " thine iron » as « the iron which thou hast in thy 

ha 5-8.' In the 1st folio (followed substantially by the other folios) this 

passage reads thus : 

"Cleo. Nay, He helpe too, Anthony. 
What's this for? Ah let be, let be, thou art 
The Armourer of my heart: False, false: 1ms, this, 
Sooth-law He helpe : Thus it must bee. ' 

The arrangement in the text was suggested by Capell. Coll. gives Thus 
U must be\o Antony ; but it seems to be Cleopatra's remark about the 

armour she is trying to adjust. ___,.. , a ua~*» m- "rloft " 

H. Dafft. Doff it, take it off. The folios have "daft or ^ doit. 
SeemJ Ado, p. 138, note on Daffed. For hear the Coll. MS. has 

^t^Tight. "Handy, adroit" (Steevens). Cf. tightly (= adroitly) in 
M. W. i. 3. 88 and ii. 3.67. 

16. My wars. For the plural, cf. Cor. p. 205. 

It fort. Gate. See Cor. p. 211, or 2 Hen. IV. p. 192. See on 1. 3. 

A6 2A°The mom is fair, etc. The folios give this speech to « Alex.? but 
he has already revolted ; corrected by Rowe. 

^Bl^n. Referring to the trumpets.. H takes it to refer to the 
morning, "the metaphor being implied of ^.blossom tngm o day 

28. fe/ ««& Well done; as often. See C///. p. 174, or A 1 , fl^ /. 

P ' 21. 'Oieck. Reproof. Cf. Oth. p. 158. ic^m^rt 

32. Mechanic. Vulgar ; " such as becomes a journeyman (Schmidt). 

Scene V.-i. The gods, etc. The folios give this and the. two next 
speeches of the Soldilr to Eros; corrected by Theo. (the conjecture of 
Thirlby). 

\t D^chJ^btbus ! The 2d folio has « Dispatch Eros ;» and 
Theo. reads " dispatch my Eros !" Steevens adopts Ritson's conjectm e 
of " Eros, dispatch !" 

Scene VI.— 2. Took. S. uses the forms took, taken, and ta'en for the 

^t7lTthree.nook^d world. Cf. K. John, v. 7 . 116: "Come the three 
corners of the world in arms," etc. . 

7. Shall bear the olive freely. Cf. 2 Zfc«. /F. iv. 4. 87 : But peace puts 
forth her olive everywhere." ... 

o Plant. For the ellipsis of to, see on 111. 13. 191 above. 

?" 3 . Persuade. The folios have " disswade ;" corrected by Rowe. Cf. 

N ^iw£S^&: Employment. Cf. A ^. p. 162, or C«r. p. 252. 



204 NOTES. 

26. Safd. Gave safe conduct to. Cf. i. 3. 55 above. For the metre 
Rowe (2d ed.) reads "see safe," and Steevens "that you safd." 

34. This blows my heart. " This generosity swells my heart, so that it 
will quickly break, 'if thought break it not, a swifter mean' " (Johnson). 
Rowe reads " bows " for blows. 

35. Thought. Sorrowful reflection, taking to heart. See on iii. 13. 1 
above. For mean, see on iii. 2. 32 above. 

Scene VII. — 2. Our oppression. The oppression, or " opposition " 
(Hanmer's reading), we experience. 

5. Droven. Changed by Capell to " driven." For these irregular 
participial forms, see Gr. 344. 

6. With clouts about their heads. That is, with their broken heads tied 
up. Cf. J. C. ii. 1. 314. Perhaps it may be="with knocks about the 
head," which the phrase sometimes meant. 

8. An H. With a play upon the pronunciation of H, which was the 
same as that of the noun ache. See Much Ado, p. 150, note on 49, and 
cf. Temp. p. 119. H. is " unable to explain " why the wound is like a T. 
Probably the shape of the gash is referred to. 

10. Scotches. Cuts, wounds. Cf. the verb in Cor. iv. 5. 198: "scotched 
him and notched him like a carbonado." 

16. Co?ne thee. Here thee is probably a corruption oithou. See Gr. 212. 

Scene VIII. — 2. Gests. Exploits (Latin gesta). The folios have 
"guests ;" corrected by Theo. (the conjecture of Warb.). 

5. Doughty -handed. Stout of hands. 

6. As. As if. See on i. 2. 93 above. 

7. Shown. Shown yourselves, appeared ; as in ii. 2. 145 and iii. 3. 23 
above. 

8. Clip. Embrace. See on inclips, ii. 7. 69 above. 

11. Whole. That is, making them tvhole or sound again. 

12. Fairy. Enchantress. 

15. Proof of harness. Armour of proof. Cf. Rich. II. i. 3. 73 : "Add 
proof unto my armour with thy prayers ;" and see our ed. p. 162. 

16. Triumphing. For the penultimate accent, cf. 1 Hen. IV. v. 4. 14, 
v. 3. 15, Rich. III. iii. 4. 91, iv. 4. 59, etc. Gr. 490. 

17. Virtue. Valour (Latin virtus). Cf. Cor. ii. 2. 88: "valour is the 
chiefest virtue." See also Id. i. 1. 41, Lear, v. 3. 103, etc. 

20. Something. Somewhat ; as often. 

22. Get goal for goal, etc. Win goal for goal, get the better of youth 
in the contest. 

25. Mankind. "Accented mostly on the last syllable in T. of A., on 
the first in the other plays " (Schmidt). 

28. Carbuncled, etc. Cf. Cymb. v. 5. 189: 

"had it been a carbuncle 
Of Phoebus' wheel." 

31. Owe. Own ; as very often. Cf. Rich. II. iv. 1. 184 : " That owes 
two buckets ;" and see our ed. p. 204. 



ACT IV. SCENES IX., X, AND XI. 205 

Warb. explained hacked targets, etc., as = " hacked as much as the men 
to whom they belong" (cf. Gr. 419^), which may be right. Johnson 
gives it: "Bear our hacked targets with spirit and exultation, such as 
becomes the brave warriors that own them." 

34. Drink carotises. Cf. T. of S. i. 2. 277 : " And quaff carouses to our 
mistress' health." See also the verb in Ham. v. 2. 300, Oth. ii. 3. 55, etc. 

37. Tabourines. Drums. Cf. T. and C. iv. 5. 275 : " Beat loud the 
tabourines." 

Scene IX. — 2. The court of guard. The guard-room, or the place 
where the guard musters. Cf. Oth. ii. 1. 220 and 1 Hen. VI. ii. 1. 4. 

3. Embattle. Cf. Hen. V. iv. 2. 14 : " The English are embattled," etc. 

5. Shrewd. Bad, evil ; the original sense of the word. See J. C. p. 
145, or Hen. VIII. p. 202. 

8. Revolted. Who have revolted. Cf. 1 Hen. IV. iv. 2. 31 : "revolted 
tapsters," etc. 

Record. The noun is accented by S. on either syllable, as suits the 
measure. Cf. Rich. III. p. 207. 

13. Disponge. Drop, let fall; changed by Hanmer to "disperge." 
Cf. Temp. iv. 1. 65 : " spongy April ;" and Cymb. iv. 2. 349 : " the spongy 
south." 

15. Throw my heart, etc. A conceit in keeping with the taste of the 
time. Johnson laments it thus : " The pathetic of Shakespeare too often 
ends in the ridiculous. It is painful to find the gloomy dignity of this 
noble scene destroyed by the intrusion of a conceit so far-fetched and 
unaffecting." 

20. Particular. Personal relation. Cf. i. 3. 54 above. 

22. Fugitive. Deserter ; as in 1 Hen. VI. iii. 3. 67 : " thrust out like a 
fugitive." 

29. Raught. Reached. Cf. 2 Hen. VI. ii. 3. 43 : " This staff of honour 
raught, there let it stand." We find it as the past tense in L. L. L. iv. 2. 
41, Hen. V. iv. 6. 21 (see our ed. p. 180), and 3 Hen. VI. i. 4. 68. Reached 
occurs only in Oth. i. 2. 24, where it is the participle. 

30. Demurely. The word has been suspected, but we agree with 
Clarke that it not inaptly expresses "the solemnly measured beat, the 
gravely regulated sound of drums that summon sleeping soldiers to wake 
and prepare themselves for a second day's fighting after a first that has 
just been described by the listeners as a shrewd one to us." The Coll. 
MS. has "Do early." 

Scene X. — 7. They have put forth the haven. This is all that the folios 
give for the line. The obvious gap has been variously filled ; as by Rowe 
with "Further on," by Capell with." Hie we on," by W. with "Ascend 
we now," etc. The reading in the text is due to D., and is adopted by 
the Camb. editors. 

Scene XI. — 1. But being charged, etc. Unless we are charged, we will 
remain quiet by land, as, I take it, we shall be allowed to be. 



2o6 NOTES. 

Scene XII. — I. Yet they are not. They are not yet. For the trans- 
position, cf. ii. i. 49 above. 

3. Swallotvs have built, etc. See North, p. 158 above. 

4. Augurers. The folios have "auguries;" corrected by Capell. Pope 
has "augurs." For augurers, cf. v. 2. 332 below; and see also Cor. p. 
218. 

13. Triple-turn 'd. Thrice faithless. Cf. hi. 13. 116 fol. above. 

15. Only wars on thee. War only on thee. Cf. Gr. 420. 

16. Charm. Charmer (as in 25 below), in the sense of witch or sorcer- 
ess. Cf. spell in 30 below. 

18. Uprise. Cf. T. A. iii. I. 159: "the sun's uprise." 

21. SpanieVd. The folios have " pannelled ;" happily corrected by 
Hanmer. Theo. reads " pantler'd" (the conjecture of Warb.) ; and Jack- 
son suggests " pan-kneel'd !" 

22. Discandy. See on iii. 13. 165 above. 

25. Soul. Changed by Capell to "soil," and by the Coll. MS. to 
" spell." Walker conjectures " snake." For grave (which may be 
=deadly, destructive, as Steevens explains it), Pope has "gay," the Coll. 
MS. "great," and Sr. (2d ed.) "grand." 

26. Beck'd. Beckoned, called by a look or nod. Cf. K. John, iii. 3. 13 : 
" When gold and silver becks me to come on." 

27. Crowuet. The crown of my wishes and endeavours. Cf. v. 2. 91 
below. 

. 28. Right. Truly deserving the name, very ; as in M. N. D. iii. 2. 302, 
A. Y. L. iii. 2. 103, 127, 290, etc. 

At fast and loose. An old cheating game. See K. John, p. 156. 

34. Plebeians. Accented on the first syllable, as in Cor. i. 9. 7 and v. 
4. 39. See our ed. p. 212. 

36. Be shown, etc. Be made a show for the lowest and stupidest of 
the people. With K. and V., we follow the reading of the folios. The 
editors generally adopt Thirlby's conjecture of " doits " for dolts, and ex- 
plain poorest diminutives as^the pettiest of small coin. But the refer- 
ence is to Cleopatra's being led in triumph through the streets of Rome, 
a "free show" for the rabble, not to her being exhibited for a fee. Be- 
sides it seems more natural for Antony to emphasize the low character 
of the spectators than the pettiness of the price charged, if there were 
any. The only other instance of diminutives in S. is T. and C. v. I. 38, 
where it means insignificant persons. Monster-like = as a monster or 
monstrosity ; but of course it is not necessary to see any reference to the 
fact that monsters were exhibited for money (cf. Temp. ii. 2. 30 fol.). 

39. Prepared. "Which she suffered to grow for this purpose" 
(Warb.). 

43. Nessus. Alluded to again in A. W. iv. 3. 281. 

44. Mine ancestor. See on i. 3. 84 above. 

45. Lichas. The servant of Hercules who brought the poisoned shirt 
from Dejanira, and was thrown by his master into the sea. Cf. M. of V. 
ii. I. 32. 

47. Worthiest. That is, of being subdued, or destroyed. H. says : 
" Though Antony here uses the word self, his thoughts are really upon 



ACT IV SCENES XIII. AND XIV. 



207 



Hercules, with whom for the moment he identifies himself." This is 
Heath's explanation and may possibly be right, though the other seems 
to us simpler and more natural. 
48. Young. Omitted by Hanmer. 

Scene XIII. — 2. Telamon for his shield. That is, Ajax Telamon for 
the armour of Achilles, the celebrated shield being the most valuable part 
of it. 

The boar of Thessaly was the boar killed by Meleager. 

3. Emboss' d. Foaming at the mouth; a hunter's term. Cf. T. of S. 
p. 126. 

Scene XIV. — 8. Pageants. The metaphor is taken from the theatrical 
exhibitions so called. Cf. Temp. iv. 1. 155, T. G. of V. iv. 4. 164, L. L. L. 
v. 1. 118, A. Y I. ii. 7. 138, iii. 4. 55, etc. 

Hazlitt remarks : " This is, without doubt, one of the finest pieces of 
poetry in Shakespeare. The splendour of the imagery, the semblance 
of reality, the lofty range of picturesque objects hanging over the* world, 
their evanescent nature, the total uncertainty of what is left behind,— are 
just like the mouldering schemes of human greatness." 

10. The rack dislimns. The floating vapour effaces or blots out. For 
rack, cf. Nam. p. 211, or Temp. p. 137. 

12. Knave. In its original sense of boy or servant. Cf. M. of V. p. 

137- 

18. Moe. More ; used only with a plural or collective noun. See 
A. Y.L. p. 176. 

19. Packed cards. A term for shuffling them unfairly. In triumph 
Warb. sees a play 'upon its sense of "trump" (Fr. triomphe), but this is 
doubtful. 

22. End. See on iii. 11. 38 above. 

26. Die the death. Cf. M.for M. ii. 4. 165, M. N. D. i. I. 65, Cymb. iv. 
2. 96, etc. See also Matt. xv. 4. 

33. Rendered. Rendered up, gave up. Cf. iii. 10. 32 above. 

39. The battery from my heart. Boswell explains this: "the battery 
proceeding from my heart, which is strong enough to break through the 
sevenfold shield of Ajax; I wish it were strong enough to cleave my 
sides and destroy me." 

40. Continent. Container. Cf M. N. D. p. 142. 

41. Crack. Cf. Lear, ii. 1. 92 : " my old heart is crack' d — it 's craek'd !" 
See also Cor. p. 196. 

46. Length. Steevens conjectured "life," but length is more expres- 
sive as = lengthening out of life. 

. 49. Seal then, etc. The metaphor is taken from sealing a legal docu- 
ment, which completes it. 

53. sEneas. Hanmer reads " Sichaeus " (the conjecture of Warb.), as 
Virgil represents Dido as shunning ^Eneas in the lower world and seek- 
ing her former husband ; but S. forgot for the moment that the lovers 
were not associated in death as in life. 

60. Less noble mind. Being of less noble mind ; an ellipsis not unlike 



2 o8 NOTES. 

many others in S. Rowe and Pope read " less noble-minded." Cf. North, 
p. 163 above. 

61. Which. Who ; as in iii. 12. 5 above. 

63. Exigent. Exigency ; as in J. C. v. 1. 19 : " Why do you cross me 
in this exigent?" On the passage, cf. J. C. v. 3. 36 fol. 

65. Prosecutio7t. Pursuit ; the only instance of the word in S. 

68. Defeafst. Destroyest. Cf. Oth. iv. 2. 160: "defeat my life," 
etc. 

72. Window 'd. At a window. The only other instance of the word in 
S. is Lear, iii. 4. 31 : " loop'd and window'd raggedness." 

73. Pleach 'd. Folded. Cf. its use =intertwined, interwoven, in Much 
Ado, iii. 1.7: " the pleached bower." 

74. Corrigible. Submissive to correction. In Oth. i. 3. 329 it is=cor- 
rective. S. uses the word only twice. 

75. Penetrative. Used by S: only here. 

76. Branded, etc. " Branded with baseness him who followed " 
(Clarke). 

79. That thy. See on ii. 3. 20 above. 

80. Useful. For the adverbial use, see Gr. 1. S. uses the word else- 
where only in K. John, v. 2. 81. So he has useless only twice : Temp. v. 
I. 60 and R. of L. 859 (where it is adverbial). 

87. Lo thee ! W. conjectures " Lo there !" Cf. W. T. i. 2. 106 : " Why, 
lo you now !" 

98. Got upon me. Forestalled me in gaining. Cf. win tipon in ii. 4.- 9 
above. 

107. Period. End ; as in iv. 2. 25 above. 

112. This tidings. Hanmer reads "these" for this ; but S. makes tid- 
ings both singular and plural. Cf. ii. 5. 87 above with v. 1. 27 below. See 
also Rich. II. p. 177. 

113. Enter me with him. Secure me a place in his favour, recommend 
me to him. 

117. Sufficing strokes for death. Strokes sufficient for death. Cf. Gr. 
419a:. See also on iv. 8. 31 above. 
123. Disposed. Made terms. 
136. To grace it. By gracing it. Cf. Gr. 356. 

Scene XV. — 7. But not dead. To fill out the line, Steevens conject- 
ures "madam, but not dead;" and Keightley reads " but he is not 
dead." 

10. Sphere. See on ii. 7. 15 above. If the crystalline sphere in which 
the sun was set were destroyed, the sun must fall and the earth become 
dark. For darkling, cf. M. N. D. ii. 2. 86 and Lear, i. 4. 237. For shore 
H. reads " star," explaining " the varying star o' the world " as " the 
changing moon." 

19. Importune. Accented on the penult, as always in S. Cf. Ham. 
p. 190. Gr. 490. 

21. Dare not. That is, dare not descend from the monument. Theo. 
inserted "Come down" after lips. 

23. Imperious. Imperial. See Ham. p. 264. 



ACT IV. SCENE XV. 209 

25. Brooetfd. Adorned, as with a brooch. Cf. the noun in Ham. iv. 

7- 94 = 

"he is the brooch indeed 
And gem of all the nation." 

See also Rich. II. v. 5. 66. 

26. Edge, sting, or operation. The order does not follow that in the 
preceding line, and Hanmer therefore read "operation, or sting;" but 
cf. R.and L. 615, 616 : 

" For princes are the glass, the school, the book, 
Where subjects' eyes do learn, do read, do look." 

28. Still conclusion. " Sedate determination ; silent coolness of resolu- 
tion" (Johnson). Schmidt is perhaps right in making it = " silently 
drawing inferences in surveying and examining my appearance." Nares 
explains it similarly, as = " deep but quiet censure, looking demure all 
the while ;" and V. endorses this interpretation. The Coll. MS. has 
"still condition." 

29. Demuring. Looking demurely, or with affected modesty. 

32. Here 's sport indeed! Said, of course, with bitter but most pathetic 
irony. Johnson supposed it to mean " here 's trifling, you do not work 
in earnest ;" and Steevens that it was intended " to inspire Antony with 
cheerfulness, and encourage those who were engaged in the melancholy 
task." 

33. Heaviness. The play upon the word (in its senses of sorrow and 
weight) is in keeping with what precedes. 

38. Where. The folios have " when ;" corrected by Pope. 

39. Quicken. Revive, become quick (see Ham. p. 262, or Hen. V. p. 
156) or alive. Cf. Lear, iii. 7. 39 : "These hairs . . . Will quicken and 
accuse thee." 

44. The false huswife Fortune. Cf. Hen. V. v. 1.85: "Doth Fortune 
play the huswife with me now?" See also A. Y. L. p. 141, note on 27. 
For the contemptuous use of huswife, cf. Oth. iv. 1. 95 ; and for the spell- 
ing, see Cor. p. 205. 

47. Gentle. Cf. W. T. iv. 4. 46: " Be merry, gentle," etc. 

59. Wodt. See on iv. 2. 7 above. 

64. The garland of the war. Cf. Cor. i. 1. 188: "Him vile that was 
your garland." See also Id. i. 9. 60 and ii. 2. 105. 

65. The soldier s pole. " He at whom the soldiers pointed as at a 
pageant held high for observation " (Johnson) ; "their standard or rally- 
ing point" (Clarke); "their loadstar" (Schmidt). Clarke is probably 
right. 

66. Odds. Generally singular in S., but sometimes plural ; as in M.for 
M. iii. 1. 41 : " these odds," etc. 

67. Remarkable. As St. remarks, the word, in the poe^s time, " bore 
a far more impressive and appropriate meaning than with us; it then ex- 
pressed not merely observable or noteworthy, but something profoundly 
striking and uncommon." 

73. E'en a woman. The folios have " in a woman ;" corrected by 
Capell. This is said in reply to Iras. See p. 19 above. 

o- 



i 



2IO NOTES. 

75. Chares. Drudgery ; the Yankee " chores." Cf. the English " char- 
woman." S. uses the word only here and in v. 2. 231 below. 

76. Injurious. Malignant. 

78. Naught. Worthless, vile; usually spelt naught in this sense in the 
early eds., as nought when=nothing. See A. Y. L. p. 142, or Rich. III. 
p. 182. 

79. Sottish. Stupid; the only instance of the word in S. For sot = 
dolt, fool, see Lear, p. 235, or Temp. p. 132. 

85. Sirs. For the feminine use, cf. L. L. L. iv. 3. 211. See also the use 
of sirrah in v. 2. 229 below. D. quotes B. and F., The Coxcomo, iv. 3, 
where the mother says to Viola, Nan, and Madge, " Sirs, to your tasks;" 
and A King and No King, ii. 1 : 

"Pan. Sirs, leave me all. [Exeunt Waiting-women." 

89. Case. Cf. iv. 14. 41 above. See also T. N. v. 1. 168. 



ACT V. 

Scene I. — 2. Frustrate. Frustrated. A trisyllable, like mistress in ii. 
5. 27 above. Gr. 477. 

He mocks the pauses, etc. That is, they are mere mockery. Hanmer 
reads "he but mocks," and Malone "mocks us by." 

5. Appear thus. That is, with a drawn and bloody sword (Steevens). 

15. The round world. The line is imperfect, and something may have 
been lost; but it is not unintelligible as it stands. " S. seems to mean 
that the death of so great a man ought to have produced effects similar 
to those which might have been expected from the dissolution of the 
universe, when all distinctions shall be lost " (Johnson). 

21. Self. Same. Cf. C. of E. v. 1. 10: "that self chain," etc. Gr. 20. 

24. Splitted. For the form, cf. C ofE. i. 1. 104, v. 1. 308, and 2 Hen. VI. 
iii. 2. 411. For the expression, cf. Rich. III. i. 3. 300 : " When he shall 
split thy very heart with sorrow," etc. The Coll. MS. reads "split that 
self noble heart." 

27. Tidings. The 2d folio has " a tydings," which helps out the meas- 
ure. But it is — \i it be not. Cf. v. 2. 103 below. 

28. And strange it is, etc. The folios give this, and the next speech 
but one, to Dolabella (who has gone) ; corrected by Theo. 

31. Wag'd. The reading of the 1st folio. The 2d has "way," and the 
3d and 4th " may." Rowe reads " weigh'd," and Ritson conjectures 
"weigh." Wag'd seems to be = " were opposed to each other in just 
proportions, like the counterparts of a wager." 

32. Steer humanity. Control a human frame. 

36. Lance. The folios have " launch," which is merely an old form 
of the word. 

37. Perforce. Of necessity ; as in iii. 4. 6 above. 

39. Look. Changed by Hanmer to "look'd ;•" but the present is bet- 
ter : or look, as I now do, on thine. Stall = dwell. 



ACT V. SCENE II. 211 

43. In top of all design. In the height of all design, in all lofty en- 
deavour. 

46. His. Its ; referring to mine, that is, my heart. 

47. Unreconciliable. The reading of the 1st and 2d folios, and favoured 
by the metre. 

Should divide, etc. "That is, should have made us, in our equality of 
fortune, disagree to a pitch like this, that one of us must die" (Johnson). 
50. The business of this man looks out of him. Cf. Macb. i. 2. 46 : 

" What a haste looks through his eyes ! So should he look 
That seems to speak things strange." 

52. A poor Egyptian yet. " Yet a servant of the queen of Egypt, 
though soon to become a subject of Rome" (Johnson). Clarke takes yet 
to be=till now : "I have been hitherto no more than a poor Egyptian ; 
but at present — now that my queen is bereft of all — I am messenger from 
Cleopatra to Octavius Caesar." 

59. Live. The folios have " leave ;" corrected by Rowe. Capell reads 
"Leave to be gentle," ending 59 at cannot. D. has "learn" (the con- 
jecture of Tyrwhitt). 

65. Her life in Rome, etc. Her living presence in Rome would add 
eternal glory to our triumph. Hanmer reads " eternaling " for eternal in 
(the conjecture of Thirlby). 

Scene II. — A Room in the Monument. As Mai one notes, the drama- 
tist has here attempted to exhibit at once the outside and the inside of a 
building. This was possible on the old stage, on account of the balcony 
at the back, in which Cleopatra and her two attendants would be placed, 
while the Romans would appear in front below. Cf. T. of S. p. 128, note 
on Enter aloft, etc. 

3. Knave. Servant. See on iv. 14. 12 above. 

4. And it is great, etc. " The difficulty of the passage, if any difficulty 
there be, arises only from this, that the act of suicide and the state which 
is the effect of suicide are confounded. Voluntary death, says she, is an 
act which bolts up change; it produces a state which has no longer need 
of the gross and terrene sustenance, in the use of which Caesar and the 
beggar are on a level " (Johnson). 

Theo. and some modern editors adopt Warburton's conjecture of 
"dug" for dung; but, as W. remarks, the latter word is "expressive of 
the speaker's bitter disgust of life." Cf. i. 1. 35 above : 

"our dungy earth alike 
Feeds beast as man ;" 

and T. of A. iv. 3. 444: 

"the earth 's a thief 
That feeds and breeds by a composture stolen 
From general excrement." 

See also on 280 below. 

21. With thanks. That is, with thanks for. The ellipsis of the prepo- 
sition is not uncommon when it has been already expressed (Gr. 394) or 
can be readily supplied. Cf. 64 below. 



212 NOTES. 

27. Pray in aid. " A term used for a petition made in a court of justice 
for the calling in of help from another that hath an interest in the cause 
in question" (Hanmer). 

29. I send him, etc. I deliver up to him the power he has won. 

35. You see how easily, etc. The 1st folio gives this speech to 
"Pro.,'''' the later folios transfer it to " Char.'"' Malone was the first 
to see that it belongs to Gallus. Cf. the extract from North, p. 165 
above. 

42. Languish. Lingering disease or suffering. Cf. R. and *J. i. 2. 49 : 
" One desperate grief cures with another's languish." 

48. Worth many babes and beggars ! " Why, death, wilt thou not rather 
seize a queen than employ thy force upon babes and beggars ?" (John- 
son). 

Temperance — moderation, self-control. 

50. If idle talk zuill once be necessary. A puzzling line. Johnson ex- 
plains it : " if it be necessary now for once to waste a moment in idle talk 
of my purpose ;" and Steevens : "if it be necessary for once to talk of 
performing impossibilities." Malone supposes a line to have been lost 
after 50, like "I '11 not so much as syllable a word ;" and Ritson would 
insert " I will not speak, if sleep be necessary." Capell changes sleep to 
"speak." Hanmer and the Coll. MS. have "accessary" for necessary. 
Mr. C. J. Monro thinks that the idle talk is to be made necessary, or use- 
ful, in keeping her awake. Of these interpretations, Johnson's is as 
nearly satisfactory as any. Clarke puts it thus : "if it be needful to prate 
of my intentions." 

54. Chastised. Accented by S. on the penult. Cf. Rich. II. ii. 3. 104, 
Macb. i. 5. 26, etc. Gr. 491. 

55. Dull Octavia. Mrs. Jameson remarks : " I do not understand the 
observation of a late critic [Hazlitt] that in this play ' Octavia is only a 
dull foil to Cleopatra.' Cleopatra requires no foil, and Octavia is not 
dull, though in a moment of jealous spleen her accomplished rival gives 
her that epithet. It is possible that her beautiful character, if brought 
more forward and coloured up to the historic portrait, would still be 
eclipsed by the dazzling splendour of Cleopatra's; for so I have seen a 
flight of fire-works blot out for a while the silver moon and ever-burning 
stars. But here the subject of the drama being the love of Antony and 
Cleopatra, Octavia is very properly kept in the background, and far from 
any competition with her rival : the interest would otherwise have been 
unpleasantly divided, or rather Cleopatra herself must have served but 
as a foil to the tender, virtuous, dignified, and generous Octavia, the very 
beau ideal of a noble Roman lady — 

'whose beauty claims 
No worse a husband than the best of men, 
Whose virtue and whose general graces speak 
That which none else can utter' (ii. 2. 128). 

"The character of Octavia is merely indicated in a few touches, but 
every stroke tells. We see her with 'downcast eyes sedate and sweet, 
and looks demure ' — with her modest tenderness and dignified submis- 
sion—the very antipodes of her rival ! Nor should we forget that she 



ACT V. SCENE II. 213 

has furnished one of the most graceful similes in the whole compass of 
poetry, where her soft equanimity in the midst of grief is compared to 

' the swan's down-feather, 
That stands upon the swell at full of tide, 
And neither way inclines ' (iii. 2. 48). 

" The fear which seems to haunt the mind of Cleopatra, lest she should 
be 'chastised by the sober eye' of Octavia, is exceedingly characteristic 
of the two women : it betrays the jealous pride of her who was conscious 
that she had forfeited all real claim to respect ; and it places Octavia 
before us in all the majesty of that virtue which could strike a kind of 
envying and remorseful awe even into the bosom of Cleopatra. What 
would she have thought and felt, had some soothsayer foretold to her the 
fate of her own children, whom she so tenderly loved? Captives, and 
exposed to the rage of the Roman populace, they owed their existence to 
the generous, admirable Octavia, in whose mind there entered no particle 
of littleness. She received into her house the children of Antony and 
Cleopatra, educated them with her own, treated them with truly maternal 
tenderness, and married them nobly." 

59. Nak'd. The folio printing, indicating that the word is mono- 
syllabic. D. gives examples of the contraction from Chapman's Homer. 

61. Pyra?nides. The Latin plural was sometimes used for the sake of 
the measure. Steevens cites, among other instances, Doctor Faustus, 
1604: "Besides the gates and high pyramides;" and Tamburlaine, 1590 : 
" Like to the shadows of pyramides." Hanmer reads " highest pyra- 
mid." 

64. Find cause. Capell adds "for it." See on 21 above. 

66. For the queen. The 2d folio reads " as for the queen." 

81. The little O, the earth. The folios have " o' th' earth" or "oth' 
earth ;" changed by Theo. to "O o' th' earth," and by Hanmer to "orb 
o' th' earth." The reading in the text is Steevens's. Cf. Hen. V. prol. 13 : 
" this wooden O " (the Globe theatre) ; and see also M. N. D. p. 165. 

82. Bestrid. The only form of the past tense and participle of bestride 
in S. Cf. J. C. i. 2. 135 : 

"Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world 
Like a Colossus." 

83. Crested. An allusion to the familiar use of a raised arm as a crest 
in heraldry. Was propertied aj=had the properties of, was as musical 
as. For the allusion to the "music of the spheres," cf. A. Y. L. ii. 7. 6, 
T. N. iii. 1. 121, M. of V. v. 1. 60, etc. 

87. Autumn. The folios have "Anthony ;" corrected by Theo. Cor- 
son would retain the old reading, seeing in it an allusion to the Greek 
dv9oQ or avQovofiog, which he strangely thinks could mean " a flowering 
pasturage." 

91. Crownets. Coronets. Cf. iv. 12. 27 above. 

92. Plates. Silver coin (Spanish plata). 

98. Vie. Rival, or produce in rivalry. 

99. Were nature's piece. "The word piece is a term appropriated to 
works of art. Here Nature and Fancy produce each their piece, and the 



NOTE 

- ::: i:rt :y 2~i._:: -~ 1 it zrt'tzt- :: Ar.::-;. — ^ ir. r^l ~ /-:: : ; r 
.;;.- .-".:';:-::.-• r.t ~l= r.:: ;v :z::.~i : ir. -j-;.~. ;:. 1 :t-.t : :r. 
sleep" (Johnson). For this use of piece, c£ ^ 7*. v. 2. 104, v. 3. 38, 7! ^" 
A.i.1.2% 255, v. 1. 21, etc. We might explain the word here as=model, 
masterpiece ; as in iii. 2. 28 above. 

103- But I do feel. If I do not feeL C£ v. l. 27 shore. Gr. 126. 

104. Smites. The folios have "suites" or "suits;" corrected by 
Z ---.-' L. 1 '-z-t reiis '• si: ::;."" 

121. Project. Shape, form, set forth ; the only instance of the verb in 
A Hirjr.:: rt:i: Y-~ i^-'- :::*•":: :.::: ::tr." 

122. 7<? /woiz: /€j to make. Gr. 281. 

123. Z/&? . . . -which. Cf- jx«:A . . . "which. Gr. 278- 
125. Enforce. Lay stress upon. CC ii. 2. 99 above. 

13&. Brief. Abstract, schedule. CL M.N.I : 42 : " There is a 
:rit:'-:- :._: Ej.:r_s irt r~-c. t:: 

140. AS* /«!^r things admitted. Trifling things excepted. Theo. 
changed admitted to " omitted ;" but it seems to us more probable that 
Cleopatra is shrewd enough to leave the door open for the excuse she 
:Ar ::it ~:.kr: ::. .'.' ^... Z":.t t:-.: :-;-t :.::-. :.t :; tt'.t::^ tu- 

ber then to add that she has also reserved some rubier token for Livia and 
". ..- '-. 

146. Seal. The 1st and 2d folios have "seele," and Johnson reads 
"seel f but that word is elsewhere used only of the eyes (cf. iii. 13. 1 12 
above i, while to seal die month or Z^x is a common figure. Cf. 2 Zfcw. JY. 
i 2. 89. ^. <wa/ J. v. 3. 216, Z/ar, iv. 6. 174, etc. 

150. Your Toisdom. "And the lord commended the unjust steward, 
because he had done wisely ~ (Luke, xvi 8). 

155. Goest thou back? Cf. the modern vulgarism of "going back upon" 

163. Parcel the sum, etc "Add one more parcel or hem to the sum 
::' ::.-■ : :sz7i:rE y.~-'-'-~ -- 

164. Envy. Malice ; as often. C£ 7bw/. i 2. 259, J/. <jf FI iv. 1. 10, 
izz. ::: 

166. Immanent. Of no moment, insignificant ; used by S. nowhere 

z'.it. 

167. Modern. Ordinary. Cf. Macb. iv. 3. 170 : "A modern ecstasy ;" 
R. and jf.iiL2.20: " modern lamentation, 7 ' etc 

::•:. 1:: . :. Z'r.t -■:>. ::' I'sei:. 

170. Unfolded soith. Exposed by. Gr. 193. 

174. J/y chance. My fortune. The figure seems to us a natural and 
expressive one : " or the last smouldering sparks of my fiery nature will 
flame forth through the ashes of my decayed fortune ~ (Clarke). Han- 
zz=zz r ::: Aee'.y ::.i" r: - -.;. :\z-.:-: :: '"is:?:!: :: 1 r. : '',.-: ..-..-.- 
-'.-. ~t ;'-s.r.zt I:"e ; :: :" r: " ::: :z .:: :":: ~ t :: . ~. - : :: :t: : 1 r. 
Ingleby's suggestion of " glance." He refers to what Cleopatra has said 
in 156 above, and adds : " She would burn him up with her glance — what 
Milton calls ' die charm of Beauty's powerful glance " IP. L. vin. 5 — 

--.-. i \~-~.L-LZ. .1: z.:z --- :.;_;-: A:t_ ".'_.:. ~z.t :" :.:::- -:_-.'.t 

him. ** 



. ACT V. SCENE II 2 I$ 

176. Misthought. Misjudged. Cf. 3 Hen. VI ii. 5. 108 : " Misthink the 
king." 

178. Merits. Deserts. Cf. Lear, iii. 5. 8 : "a provoking merit, set 
a- work by a reprovable badness in himself;" and Id. v. 3. 44 : 

"As we shall find their merits and our safety 
May equally determine." 

185. Make not your thoughts your prisons. " Do not destroy yourself 
by musing on your misfortune ; be not a prisoner in imagination, when 
really you are free " (Johnson). 

186. Dispose. Dispose of, do with. Cf. Temp. i. 2. 225, C. of E. i. 2. 
73, etc 

191. Words. Flatters with words. 

193. Finish. That is, die ; as she had whispered her purpose of doing. 
Cf. J. C. v. 5. 5 fol. 

196. Put tt to the haste. " Make your soonest haste " (iii. 4. 27). 

199. Makes religion. Makes it a sacred obligation. 

210. Aprons, rides. Cf. J. C. i. 1. 7 : " Where is thy leather apron and 
thy rule?" 

212. Rank of. Rank with. Gr. 168. Cf. Cor. iv. 6. 98 : " The breath 
of garlic-eaters." 

215. Scald. Scabby, scurvy. Cf. Hen. V. v. 1. 5 (see also 31,33): "the 
rascally, scald, peggarly, lousy, pragging knave," etc. 

Quick. Lively, sprightly ; with perhaps the additional idea of being 
prompt to take advantage of a fresh and popular subject. 

216. Ballad us. For the fashion in the poet's day of making ballads 
on current events of note, see 2 Hen. IV. p. 186 (note on 43), or W. T. p. 
198 (on 263) and p. 210 (on 23). Cf. also Falstaff's threat in 2 Hen. IV. 
ii. 2. 48. 

217. Extemporally. The word occurs again in V. and A. 836: "sings 
extemporally." Present— represent ; as in Temp. iv. 1. 167: "when I 
presented Ceres," etc. See also M. iV. D. p. 156. 

220. Boy my greatness. In the time of S. female parts were performed 
by boys or young men. See M. N. D. p. 134, note on Let me not play a 
woman ; and cf. A. Y. L. p. 202, note on If I were a woman. 

226. Absurd. Changed by Theo. to " assur'd." H. remarks that " there 
seems to be no reason why absurd should be used here, while assur'd just 
fits the place ;" but surely if his intents are assur'd from his point of view, 
they are absurd from hers, for she is going to fool them. In the same 
vein, after she has done this, she calls Caesar an ass unpolicied (306 be- 
low). 

229. Sirrah Iras. See on iv. 15. 85 above. 

231. Chare. Task. See on iv. 15. 75 above. 

236. What poor an instrument. For the transposition of the article, 
see Gr. 422. 

238. Plac'd. Fixed ; as in P. P. 256 : "plac'd without remove." 

240. Marble-constant. Firm as marble. 

242. Avoid. Withdraw, depart; as in Temp. iv. 1. 142, C. of E. iv. 3. 
48, 66, etc. 



2i6 NOTES. 

243. Worm. Snake. Cf. Cymb. iii. 4. 37 : " Outvenoms all the worms 
of Nile," etc. 

256. Fallible. The 1st folio has "falliable," which should perhaps be 
retained as a vulgarism. 

262. Do his kind. "Act according to his nature" (Johnson). Cf. A. 
W. i. 3. 67 : " Your cuckoo sings by kind," etc. See also Much Ado, p. 
118 (on Kind) and p. 154 (on Kindly). M alone quotes Romeus and Juliet, 
1562 : " For tickle Fortune doth, in changing, but her kind." 

275. The devils mar five. The Coll. MS. changesyfo*? to "nine." Per- 
haps the " old corrector " was thinking of A. W. i. 3. 81 : " Among nine 
bad if one be good," etc. 

278. I wish you joy 0' the worm. "This short scene of the Clown's 
rustic obtuseness and grinning familiarity serves wonderfully to heighten 
the effect of Royal Egypt's coming death-scene ; and its introduction at 
this juncture is completely consistent with our dramatist's scheme of con- 
trasted situations " (Clarke). 

280. Now no more, etc. Clarke remarks that this passage confirms the 
old text in 7 above. " Cleopatra here, in her own gorgeously poetical 
strain, takes leave of the material portion of existence, and prepares to 
enter upon the spiritual portion : she has previously condensed the ag- 
gregate products of earth — corn, wine, oil, fruits, and, indirectly, flesh- 
meat — into one superbly disdainful word dung; and she now figuratively 
sums them up in one draught of grape-juice, as the wine of life, the sus- 
tainer of mortal being, to which she bids farewell." 

282. Yare,yare. Quick, quick. See on ii. 2. 212 above. 

288. / am fire and air, etc. Alluding to the old idea that man was 
made up of the four elements. Cf. Hen. V. iii. 7. 23 : " He is pure air and 
fire, and the dull elements of earth and water never appear in him." See 
our ed. p. 169. 

292. Aspic. Asp. Cf. Oth. iii. 3. 450 : " aspics' tongues." " Iras must 
be supposed to have applied an asp to her arm while her mistress was 
settling her dress " (Steevens). 

301. He '// make demand of her. " He will enquire of her concerning 
me, and kiss her for giving him intelligence" (Johnson). 

302. Mortal. Deadly ; as in i. 2. 128 above. Wretch is not used con- 
temptuously, but as in Oth. iii. 3. 90, etc. See Oth. p. 183. 

303. Intrinsic ate. Apparently = intricate. -Cf. Lear, p. 203, note on 
Intrinse. 

304. Fool. For the use of the word as a term of endearment or pity, 
see A. Y. L. p. 151. 

307. Unpolicied. Devoid of policy, stupid. 

313. Wild. The folios have " wilde " or "wild ;" but Capell (followed 
by many editors) took it to be a misprint for vile, which is always " vild " 
or "vilde" in the early eds. As Coll. remarks, " Charmian might well 
call the world wild, desert, and savage, after the deaths of Antony, Cleo- 
patra, and others whom she loved." 

315. Windows. Eyelids ; as in R. and J. iv. 1. 100 (see our ed. p. 172, 
note on Grey eye), Cymb. ii. 2. 22, etc. 

317. Awry. The folios have "away;" corrected by Pope. 



ADDENDUM. 217 

318. And then play. She is perhaps thinking of Cleopatra's words in 
232 above. 

322. BeguiPd. Deceived, cheated ; as in iii. 7. 74 above. 

329. Touch their effects. Are realized. Cf. R. of L. 353 : "Thoughts 
are but dreams till their effects be tried." 

332. Augur er. See on iv. 12. 4 above. 

334. LevelPd at. Guessed at ; as in M. of V. i. 2. 41 : " level at my af- 
fection." The metaphor is taken from levelling, or aiming, a musket. 
For its literal use, see Rich. III. p. 232. 

345. As. As if. Cf. i. 2.93 and iv. 1. 1 above. 

347. Something blozun. Somewhat swollen. Cf. iv. 6. 34 above. 

351. Caves. "Canes" and "eaves" have been conjectured. 

352. Her physician tells me, etc. See North, p. 160 above. Conchisions 
— experiments ; as in Cymb. i. 5. 18, Ham. iii. 4. 195, etc. See also p. 20 
above. 

357. Clip. Enclose. See on iv. 8. 8 and ii. 7. 69 above. 

358. High events as these. For the ellipsis of so, cf. Gr. 281. 



ADDENDUM. 

The "Time- Analysis" of the Play.— We give below the sum- 
ming-up of Mr. P. A. Daniel's " time-analysis" in his valuable paper " On 
the Times or Durations of the Action of Shakspere's Plays" {Trans, of 
Nezv Shahs. Soc. 1877-79, P- 237), with some explanatory extracts from 
the preceding pages appended as foot-notes : 

" Time of the Play, twelve days represented on the stage ; with in- 
tervals. 

" Day 1. Act I. sc. i.— iv. 

Interval of 20 days ?* 
" 2. Act I. sc. v., Act II. sc. i.-iii.f 
" 3. Act II. sc. iv. . 

Interval [time for the news of Antony's marriage to reach 
Alexandria; and for the Triumvirs to meet with Pom- 
pey near Misenum]. 
" 4. Act II. sc. v.-vii. [Act III. sc. iii.]. 

Interval ? [time for the Triumvirs to return to Rome]. 



* " In Act I. sc. v. Alexas brings a message and a present of a pearl to Cleopatra 
from Antony. On his journey he has met ' twenty several messengers sent by the 
Queen to Antony, and she says, 'He shall have every day a several greeting. We 
may suppose then an interval of some twenty days between Days i and 2. 

t "The first lines of Act II. sc. iii. must represent the termination of the meeting 
proposed in the preceding scene. At the end of it Antony bids Octavia and Caesar good- 
Light, and she and Csesar evidently go out together ; though the only stage direction is 
' Exit ' We are. then, clearly in Antony's first day in Rome ; yet his conversation with 
the Soothsayer, who now enters, would suppose the lapse of some time since his arrival. 
. . . The fact is, distant times are brought together m this scene, as in many other places 
of the drama." 



2 l8 NOTES. 

Day 5. Act III. sc. i. and ii.* 

[Act III. sc. iii.t See Day 4.] 

Interval [much wanted historically]. 
" 6. Act III. sc. iv. and v. 

Interval [Octavia's journey from Athens to Rome]. 
" 7. Act III. sc. vi. 

Interval. 
" 8. Act III. sc. vii. 
" 9. Act III. sc. viii.-x. 

Interval. 
" 10. Act III. sc. xi.-xiii., Act IV. sc. i.-iii. 
" 11. Act IV. sc. iv.-ix. 
" 12. Act IV. sc. x.-xv., Act V. sc. i. and ii.J 
" Historic time, about ten years : B.C. 40 to B.C. 30." 

* "Enobarbus commences this scene with 

'They have dispatch'd with Pompey, he is gone; 
The other three [the Triumvirs] are sealing. Octavia weeps 
To part from Rome ; Caesar is sad ; and Lepidus, 
Since Pompey' s feast, as Menas says, is troubled 
With the green sickness.' 

*' These lines annihilate time and space. Dramatically Misenum and Rome become 
one. The treaty with Pompey concluded at Misenum becomes a Roman business ; and 
the interval I have marked between this and the preceding act is of dubious propriety. 
It becomes still more so if we include in Day 5 the following scene, which certainly can- 
not be later than the morrow of Act II. sc. v." 

t "Time is so shuffled in these scenes that it is extremely difficult to make out any 
consistent scheme ; on the whole, I incline to transfer this scene to Day 4, and accord- 
ingly place it within brackets. It might follow, in stage representation, sc. vi. and vii. 
of Act II., or, better perhaps, come between them, thus affording variety to the audience 
and an equal distribution of repose and action to the players." 

t " Much of the business of this scene— not easily to be gathered from the drama it- 
self — is derived by the editors from Plutarch's history of Mark Antony, on which the 
play is founded. I am in some doubt whether a separate day, the morrow of Day 12, 
should not be marked for the last two scenes. Historically, of course, some time elapsed 
between the deaths of Antony and Cleopatra ; but all these scenes from Act IV. sc. x. to 
the end of the play are dramatically so closely connected that, in the absence of any 
specific note of time which would justify this division, I have deemed it best to include 
them all in one day, the last." 




INDEX OF WORDS AND PHRASES 
EXPLAINED. 



abode (=abiding), 172. 

about, 185. 

abstract of all faults, 175. 

absurd, 215. 

abused (=deceived), 156. 

afeard, 186. 

affect (=like), 174. 

all to nought, 185. 

all-obeying, 200. 

alms-drink, 189. 

anchor his aspect, 177. 

angle (=nshing-line\ 186. 

Antoniad, 158, 197. 

appeach, 165. 

appeal ( = impeachment ), 

i95- 
approof, 193. 
approve (=prove), 169. 
April in ber eyes, 193. 
Arabian bird, 192. 
are you thereabouts? 198. 
argument (=proof ), 199. 
arm-gaunt, 178. 
art not what thou 'rt sure of, 

187. . 
as (=as if), 171, 200, 202, 204, 

217. 
as (conjunction of reminder), 

176, 180. 
as (omitted), 214. 
aspect (accent), 178. 
aspic, 216. 
at heel of, 182. 
at the last, best, 174. 
atone (=reconcile), 181. 
attend (=wait for), 198. 
augurers, 206, 217. 
avoid (= depart), 215. 
ay me ! 196. 

ballad us, 215. ■•• 
band (=bond), 193. 
banquet (=dessert), 189. 
Basan, the hill of, 201. 
battery from my heart, 207. 
battle (=army), 197. 
beastly (adverb), 178. 
becked, 206. 



become themselves, 184. 

becomed, 196. 

becomes his flaw, 199. 

becomings. 175. 

beguiled (=deceived), 217. 

belike, 170, 202. 

bends, 183. 

bestrid, 213. 

bewrayed, 164. 

billiards, 185. 

blown, 203, 217. 

blows my heart, 204. 

blubbering, 165. 

boar of Thessaly, 207. 

bolts up change, 211. 

bond, 177. 

boot thee with, 186. 

boxed (=beat), 166. 

boy my greatness, 215. 

bravery (=show), 158. 

breather, 194. 

brief (=abstract), 214. 

brize, 198. 

brooched, 209. 

brows' bent, 173. 

burgonet, 177. 

but (= except), 169. 

but (=if not), 210, 214. 

but (=unless), 199. 

but for vacancy, 184. 

by revolution lowering, 171. 

Csesarion, 201. 

caitiff (=wretched), 166. 

call on him, 176. 

cantle, 197. 

carbuncledlike Phoebus' car, 

204. 
carects, 160. 

careful (=industrious), 160. 
carriage (=cargo), 160. 
carriage of his chafe, 175. 
carries (=has a range), 197. 
case, 210. 

cast (^compute), 193. 
cement (accent), 193. 
certain (noun), 154. 
chance (=fortune), 198, 214. 



! change (=exchange), 169. 

i chares, 210, 215. 

i charm (=charmer), 206. 

chastised (accent), 212. 
I check (=reproof), 203., 

chuck (=chick), 203. 
1 circle (=crown), 199. 
I cithernes, 151. 
1 clean (=pure), 162. 

clip (=embrace\ 204, 217. 

cloth-of-gold of tissue, 182. 

cloud in his face, 193. 

clouts about their heads, 
204. 

cloyless, 179. 

colour (=pretext), 173. 

come thee, 204. 

comes deared, 177. 

comparisons, 200. 

competitor ( = associate ), 
175, 190. 

compose (= agree), 179. 

composure (^composition), 
176. 

conclusion, still, 209. 

conclusions (=experiments), 
217. 

condemned (accent), 174. 

confound (=consume), 169, 
176. 

confound (=destroy), 194. 

considerate (= discreet), 181. 

continent (=container), 207. 

conversation (=behaviour), 
189. 

cop-tank, 157. 

corrigible, 208. . 

could (=would fain), 171. 

course (=follow), 200. 

courser's hair, 173. 

court of guard, 205. 

crack (=break), 207. 

cranewes, 165. 

crested, 213. 

crownet, 206, 213. 

cunning (=skill), 185. 

curious (=careful), 193. 

curstness, 179. 



220 



INDEX OF WORDS AND PHRASES EXPLAINED. 



daff, 203. 

danger (verb), 173. 

dare (noun), 172. 

darkens, 192. 

darkling, 208. 

dealt on lieutenantry, 198. 

dear'st. 196. 

death and honour, 202. 

declined, 200. 

defeat (=destroy 

defend (= forbid ,-, 194. 

demi- Atlas. 177. 

demon (=genius), 185. 

demurely, 205. 

demuring, 209. 

denounced (= declared), 196. 

determines (=comes to an 

end), 201. 
did you disquiet, 181. 
die the death, 207. 
diminutive-, 
disaster (verb), 190. 
discandying, 201, 206. 
discontents (—malcontents), 

176. 
disgested, 182. 
disguise (=intoxication),i9i. 
dislimns, 207. 
disponge, 20^. 
dispose (=dispose of), 215. 
disposed(=made terms), 208. 
distractions, 197.' 
divine of, 1 
do his kind, 216. 
doughty-handed, 204. 
drave, 170. 
drew cuts, 154- 
drink carouses, 205. 

., 170, 204. 
dull Octavia, 212. 
dumbed, 178. 

•ear (=plough), 177. 
earing Wtilling:. 171. 
earn our chronicle, 201. 
earns a place i' the story, 

200. 
ebbed (active), 176. 
e'en a woman, 209. 
Egypt (=queen of Egypt), 

174, 178. 
Egypt's widow, 179. 
elder (=superior), 198. 
elements, 193. 
embattle, 205. 
embossed, 207. 
end (=put an end to), 198, 

207. 
enforce (=urge), 181, 214. 
enow, 154, 176. 
enter me with him, 208. 
entertainment, 203. 
envy (=malice), 214. 



Epicurean (accent), 179. 
estridge. 202. 
Euphrates (accent), 171. 
exigent (noun), 2 
expedience (= expedition), 

172. 
extemporally. 215. 
extended (=seized), 171. 
eyne, 191. 

fairy (=enchantress), 204. 

fall (=befall), 197. 

fall (transitive), 199. 

fame (=report , 182. 

fast and loose ; 206. 

fats (=vats), 191. 

favour (=face), 186. 

fear (=frighten), 187. 

fear (personified), 185. 

feature, 187. 

feeders, 201. 

fervency,"i86. 

fetch him in, 202. 

finish (=die). 215. 

flaw ( = misfortune), 199. 

fleet (=float), 201. 

flush youth, 177. 

foison, 190. 
j fond (=foolish), 152. 

fool (in pity), 216- 

for (=as for), 157. 

for my bond, 177. 
j for that (=because), 196. 

for that (=nevertheless), 181. 

forgotten (active). 175. 

formal (=ordinaryj, 186. 

forspoke, 196. 

found (^discovered), 152. 

from (=away from), 188. 

from his teeth, 194. 

front (=face), 177. 180. 

frustrate (trisyllable), 210. 

fugitive (=deserter), 205. 

fullest (man), 200. 

garboils, 174, 181. 
gard f=edging), 160. 
garland of the war, 209. 
gaudy (=festive), 202. 
gentle (vocative), 209. 
gests, 204. 
ghosted, 187. 
gilded (with scum), 177. 
give (=represent), 176. 
give me grace, 200. 
give off, 202. 
go on wheels, 190. 
goest thou back? 214. 
good now, 174. 
got upon me. 208. 
grants (^affords), 192. 
grates me, 168. 
grave (= deadly, 1 , 206. 



' great medicine. 

I greed (=agreed.', 188. 

griefs (=grievances), 181. 

gypsy, 168. 

H play upon), 204. 

hairs, 191. 

harried, 194. 

heat ray liver, 170. 

heaviness (play upon), 209. 

held my cap off, 190. 

Herculean, 175. 

Herod, 170, 194. 
; high-battled, 200. 
1 him (=he), 192. 
', his (=its), 199, 211. 

ho ! 1 72. 
: ho, ho, ho ! 202. 

hoising, 159. 
i holding (of song), 191. 
: homager, 169. 
: home (adverb), 171. 

hoo ; 192, 193. 

hope ( = expect), 179. 

hope of, 169. 

how intend you? 180. 

howboys, 151. 

huswife Fortune, 209. 

if idle talk will once be nec- 
essary, 212. 

immoment, 214. 

imperious (=imperial), 208. 

import, 182. 

importune (accent), 208- 

in deputation, 200. 

in !=in for it), 190. 

in (=into), 177. 

in negligent danger, 196. 

inclips, roo. 

ingrossed by swift impress, 
196. 

inhooped, 185. 

injurious (=malignanf , 2 10. 

instance (=urgencyj, 156. 

intrinsicate, 216. 

it own, 190. 

Jack, 201. 

jaded, 192. 

jointing (=joining), 170. 

jump (=hazard), 197. 

kept my square, 184. 
kind (=nature i , 216. 
knave (=servant), 207, 211- 
known (=known each oth- 
er), 189. 

lack blood to think on 't, 

Lamprias, 169. 
languish (noun), 212. 



INDEX OF WORDS AND PHRASES EXPLAINED. 2 2l 



lanked, 177. 

lated, 198. 

launch (=lance), 210. 

left unloved, 195. 

length, 207. 

Lethe'd, 179. 

levelled at, 217. 

Lichas, 206. 

lift (=lifted), 163. 

lipped, 186. 

Li via, 214. 

lo thee! 208. 

loathness, 198. 

loden, 160. 

loofed, 198. 

lottery (=prize), 184. 

loud (=in high words), 179. 

Love (=Venus), 169. 

luxuriously, 201. 

Lydia, 195. 

made no fault, 186. 

made their bends adornings, 

183. 
make better note, 194. 
make boot of, 202. 
make too great an act, 192. 
makes religion, 215. 
mallard, 198. 
mandragora, 177. 
mankind (accent), 204. 
many our contriving friends, 

172. 
marble-constant, 215. 
matter (=subject), 179. 
mean (=means), 153, 193, 

204. 
mechanic (=vulgar), 203. 
meetly, 175. 

merchandise (plural), 187. 
mered question, 200. 
merely (=entirely), 197. 
merits (=deserts), 215. 
middest, 159. 
mingle (noun), 178. 
missive (=messenger), 181. 
misthought, 215. 
mistress (trisyllable), 186. 
mocks the pauses, 210. 
Modena (accent), 177. 
modern (=ordinary), 214. 
moe, 207. 
monster-like, 206. 
moody (=sad), 185. 
more larger, 196. 
more urgent touches, 172. 
mortal (=deadly), 216. 
most (=utmost), 182. 
motion (=mind), 184. 
Mount (=Misenum), 185. 
much unequal, 187. 
muleters, 196. 
muss, 200. 



naked (=unarmed), 163. 

nature's piece, 213. 

naught (=worthless), 210. 

negligent danger, 196. 

Nessus, 206. 

never (=not), 176. 

news (number), 168, 176. 

nice ( = dainty), 201. 

nicked, 200. 

no such thing, 194. 

noises it, 196. 

not (transposed), 178, 180. 

not petty things admitted, 

214. 
number (verb), 193. 

O (=the earth), 213. 
oblivion (subjective), 175. 
observance, 194. 
obstruct (noun), 195. 
occasion (=need), 189. 
odds (number), 209. 
o'ercount (play upon), 188. 
of (=for), 182. 
of (=with), 215. 
of (with agent), 182. 
office, 168. 
oily palm, 170. 
onion-eyed, 172, 202. 
only (=sole), 151. 
only (transposed), 206. 
orbs (=spheres), 201. 
ordinary (=meal), 184. 
owe (=own), 204. 

pace (=break in), 181. 

packed cards, 207. 

Pacorus, 192. 

pageants, 207. 

pales, 190. 

palled, 190. 

palter, 199. 

paragon (verb), 178. 

parcel of, 200. 

part ( = depart), 172. 

particular, 174, 205. 

partisan (=halberd), 190. 

patch a quarrel, 180. 

penetrative, 208. 

perforce, 210. 

period ( = end), 202, 208. 

pestered, 151. 

petition us at home, 172. 

Philippan, 186. 

piece (=masterpiece), 193, 

213. 
pinch one another by the 

disposition, 189. 
pink eyne, 191. 
placed (=fixed), 215. 
plants (play upon), 189. 
plates (=silver coin), 213. 
pleached, 208. 



plebeians (accent), 206. 

points (=lacings), 201. 

port (=gate), 173, 203. 

possess it, 191. 

possess you, 198. 

post (=posted), 151. 

power (=armyj, 197. 

power (=bodily organ), 199. 

power unto, 182. 

practised (=plotted), 180. 

pray in aid, 212. 

pray ye, sir? 189. 

precedence, 186. 
1 pregnant (=probable), 179. 
j prepared (nails), 206. 
j prescript, 197. 

present (=represent), 215. 

presently, 152, 163, 194. 
! prest (=impress), 158. 
1 pretty (=minute), 167. 
! process (=summons), 169. 
! project (= shape), 214. 
; proof of harness, 204. 
J proper (=nice), 194. 
! propertied as, 213. 
I prorogue, 179. 
I prosecution (^pursuit), 208. 
; prove (=test), 160. 
! Ptolemy, 175. 

\ purchased (=acquired), 176. 
i purge, 174. 

j put it to the haste, 215. 
I pyramides, 190,213. 

pyramises, 190. 

quails, 185. 

quality (= disposition), 173. 

queasy with, 195. 

quick (=lively), 215. 

quicken (= revive), 209. 

quit (=requite), 201. 

race of heaven, 173. 
rack, 207. 
ranged, 169. 
ranges (noun), 199. 
rates (=is worth), 199. 
raught, 205. 
record (accent), 205. 
reel the streets, 176. 
reels (noun), 190. 
regiment (=rule), 196. 
remarkable, 209. 
rendered (=gave up), 207. 
reneges, 168. 

reports (=reporters), 180. 
requires (=requests), 199. 
revolted, 205. 
rheum, 193. 
ribaudred, 198. 
riggish, 184. 
right (=very), 206. 
rivality, 195. 



222 INDEX OF V/ORDS AND PHRASES EXPLAINED. 



safe (verb), 174, 204. 

salt (=wanton), 178. 

•scald (adjective), 215. 

scotches, 204. 

seal (figurative), 214. 

seel (=blind), 201. 

self (=same), 166, 210. 

semblable, 194. 

set up his rest, 162. 

several (=separate), 178. 

shall (=will), 178. 

shards, 193. 

she (=her), 201. 

should (=would), 184. 

show (=appear), 204. 

showed (participle), 185. 

shrewd (=evil), 205. 

shroud (=shelter), 200. 

Sicyon (spelling), 171. 

sides o' the world, 173. 

signs well, 202. 

since (with past tense), 173. 

sirrah (feminine), 210, 215- 

sirs (feminine), 210. 

sith, 163, 166. 

sithence, 166. 

sits (of the wind), 198. 

skreeked, 165. 

so (=if), 174- 

so (omitted), 217. 

soils (=stains), 176. 

solder (spelling), 194. 

soldier's pole, 209. 

something (adverb), 204,217. 

sottish (=stupid), 210. 

space (=time), 179. 

spanieled, 206. 

speeds (=prospers), 185. 

sphere, 190, 208. 

spirit (monosyllable), 180. 

splitted, 210. 

sport (ironical), 209. 

square (=just), 182. 

square (=quarrel), 179, 200. 

squares (=squadrons), 199. 

stablishment, 195. 

staged, 200. 

stain (=eclipse), 194. 

stale (=urine), 177. 

stale (verb), 184. 

stall (=dwell), 210. 

stands our lives upon, 179. 

station, 194. 

stays upon your will, 171. 

steer humanity, 210. 

still conclusion, 209. 

stinted (=ceased), 163. 

stomach (=disposition), 180. 

stomach (=resent), 194. 

stomaching, 179. 

straighter (=stricter), 153. 

strike the vessels, 191. 

stroyed, 199. 



subscribe, 203. 
success (=issue), 195. 
such . . . that, 176. 
such whose, 173. 
suffer (=suffer loss), 200. 
sweep your way, 198. 
swell, 183. 
sworder, 200. 
synod, 197. 

T (a wound like a^, 204. 

table (=tablet), 167. 

tabourines, 205. 

tackle, 183. 

take all, 202. 

take in (=subdue), 169, 196, 

200. 
tall (=stout), 187. 
targes, 188. 

Telamon for his shield, 207. 
temperance (=chastity),2oi. 
temperance (=self-control), 

212. 
tended her i' the eyes, 182. 
that (affix), 200. 
that thy spirit, 184, 208. 
the which, 192. 
thee (=thou), 204. 
Thetis, 197. 

thickens (=grows dim), 185. 
think, and die, 199. 
thought (=sorrow), 204. 
three-nooked world, 203. 
thrived (participle), 174. 
throes forth, 197. 
Thyreus, 199. 
tidings (number), 208. 
ties his points, 201. 
tight (=handy), 203. 
timelier, 188. 
tires (noun), 186. 
't is (contemptuous), 192. 
't is easy to 't, 198. 
't is pity of him, 177. 
to (=for), 182. 
to (omitted), 202, 203. 
to my sister's view, 182. 
to weet, 169. 
tokened, 197- 
took (participle), 203. 
touch their effects, 217. 
toward (=in preparation), 

189. 
treaties, 199. 
triple (=third), 168. 
triple-turned, 206. 
trised, 164, 165. 
triumphing (accent), 204. 
triumvirate, 157. 
troth (=truth), 156, 167. 
true (=honest), 189. 
trull, 196. 
trussed, 164. 



unfolded with, 214. 

unhair. 186. 

unnoble, 199. 

unpolicied, 216. 

unqualitied, 199. 

unstate, 200. 

up (=shut up), 195. 

uponfarpoorermoment, 172. 

upon the river, 182. 

uprise, 206. 

urge me in his act, 180. 

use (=are accustomed), 186. 

useful (adverb), 208. 

vessels (=casks), 191. 
vials (for tears), 174. 
vie (=rival), 213. 
vile (spelling), 216. 
virtue (=valour), 204. 

waged, 210. 

wailed (=bewailed), 194. 

waned (=faded), 178. 

warded (=guarded), 167. 

wassails, 177. 

way 's (=way he is), 187. 

well (of the dead), 186. 

well said (=well done), 203. 

well studied, 188. 

well-favouredly, 161, 166. 

wench, 184. 

wharfs (=banks), 183. 

what poor an, 215. 

what they undid did, 182. 

whatsome'er, 189. 

where (=whereas), 161. 

which (=who), 199, 208. 

whiles, 178. 

who (=whom), 195. 

whole (—sound), 204. 

wild (world), 216. 

windowed, 208. 

windows (=eyelids), 216. 

wish (^pray), 173. 

with (=by), 197. 

woo't, 202, 209. 

words (^flatters), 215. 

worky-day, 170. 

worm (=snake), 216. 

worsen 186. 

wot' st, 177. 

wounded chance, 198. 

wrestle (spelling), 194. 

wretch, 216. 

yarage, 158. 

yare, 183, 197,201, 216. 

yarely, 183. 

yet (transposed), 179, 206. 

yield (=:reward), 202. 

yond, 197. 

your (colloquial), 190. 

your considerate stone, 181. 



SHAKESPEARE. 

WITH NOTES BY WM. J. ROLFE, A.M. 



The Merchant of Venice. 

The Tempest. 

Julius Caesar. 

Hamlet. 

As You Like It. 

Henry the Fifth. 

Macheth. 

Henry the Eighth. 

Midsummer-Night's Dream. 

Richard III. 

Richard the Second. 

Much Ado About Nothing. 

Antony and Cleopatra. 



Romeo and Juliet. 

Othello. 

Twelfth Night. 

The Winter's Tale. 

King John. 

Henry IT. Part I. 

Henry IY. Part II. 

King Lear. 

Taming of the Shrew. 

AU's Well That Ends Well. 

Coriolanus. 

Comedy of Errors. 

Cymbeline. 



Illustrated. 



16mo, Cloth, 60 Cents per Volume ; Paper, 40 Cents 
per Volume. 



In the preparation of this edition of the English Classics it has been 
the aim to adapt them for school and home reading, in essentially the 
same way as Greek and Latin Classics are edited for educational pur- 
poses. The chief requisites of such a work are a pure text (expurgated, 
if necessary), and the notes needed for its thorough explanation and il- 
lustration. 

Each of Shakespeare's plays is complete in one volume, and is pre- 
ceded by an Introduction containing the "History of the Play," the 
" Sources of the Plot," and " Critical Comments on the Play." 



From Horace Howard Furness, Ph.D., LL.D., Editor of the "New Vario- 
rum Shakespeare" 
In my opinion Mr. Rolfe's series of Shakespeare's Plays is thoroughly 
admirable. No one can examine these volumes and fail to be impressed 
with the conscientious accuracy and scholarly completeness with which 
they are edited. The educational purposes for which the notes are writ- 
ten Mr. Rolfe never loses sight of, but like " a well-experienced archer 
hits the mark his eye doth level at." 



Rolfe's Shakespeare, 



From F. J. Furnivall, Director of the New Shakspere Society, London. 

The merit I see in Mr. Rolfe's school editions of Shakspere's Plays 
over those most widely used in England is that Mr. Rolfe edits the plays 
as works of a poet, and not only as productions in Tudor English. Some 
editors think that all they have to do with a play is to state its source 
and explain its hard words and allusions ; they treat it as they would a 
charter or a catalogue of household furniture, and then rest satisfied. 
But Mr. Rolfe, while clearing up all verbal difficulties as carefully as any 
Dryasdust, always adds the choicest extracts he can find, on the spirit 
and special " note " of each play, and on the leading characteristics of its 
chief personages. He does not leave the student without help in getting 
at Shakspere's chief attributes, his characterization and poetic power. 
And every practical teacher knows that while every boy can look out 
hard words in a lexicon for himself, not one in a score can, unhelped, 
catch points of and realize character,, and feel and express the distinctive 
individuality of each play as a poetic creation. 

From Prof. Edward Dowden, LL.D., of the University of Dublin, 
Author of '" Shakspere : His Mind and Art.'''' 

I incline to think that no edition is likely to be so useful for school and 
home reading as yours. Your notes contain so much accurate instruc- 
tion, with so little that is superfluous ; you do not neglect the aesthetic 
study of the play ; and in externals, paper, type, binding, etc., you make 
a book "pleasant to the eyes" (as well as "to be desired to make one 
wise ") — no small matter, I think, with young readers and with old. 

From Edwin A. Abbott, M.A., Author of '" Shakespearian Grammar.^ 

I have not seen any edition that compresses so much necessary infor- 
mation into so small a space, nor any that so completely avoids the com- 
mon faults of commentaries on Shakespeare — needless repetition, super- 
fluous explanation, and unscholar-like ignoring of difficulties. 

From Hiram Corson, M.A., Professor of Anglo-Saxon and English 
Literature, Cornell University, Ithaca, N. Y. 

In the way of annotated editions of separate plays of Shakespeare, for 
educational purposes, I know of none quite up to Rolfe's. 



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